It Comes in Waves
by The Almighty Ro
Summary: Change is a terrifying thing when you live in a village as small as Mineral Town. Some people even try to resist it. But when Claire moves in down the way, she demonstrates that you can't run from the future and that change comes in waves.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own, claim to own, or pretend to own the characters involved in this work of fiction. Besides, I'm too indecisive to pick just one.

Enjoy, su!

**Chapter 1**

The first day of Spring was always a promising time for Mineral Town.

It was the first day of the New Year, there was the promise of budding crops and growing business, new romance was always a common thing for the town's youth, and then there was always an air of change. This year was no different; Duke's grapes were already showing their stuff, Zack's business was turning a profit as always, and most of the young people left in town were already beginning the awkward dance that many courtships started with. Even the shy chicken-boy was thinking seriously about his feelings for a certain supermarket heiress.

But that didn't account for the charge in the air—the one that signaled change, good or bad, was coming. And boy howdy, was it coming!

Mayor Thomas for the most part enjoyed the Spring and the changes it wrought, but he was seriously starting to rethink that sentiment as he stumbled off the property of the decrepit old farm, rubbing his head.

"What happened to you?" he heard the chicken-boy, Rick, holler at him. Thomas looked at him when the awkward-boy-turned-awkward-man draped his bony frame over the wood fence. "You got a goose-egg growing on your head.

The stout man glared at him while Rick looked at him innocently; that must have been where Popuri got it. "You've got a new neighbor," he replied cheerfully despite himself. It really wasn't every day that the small town got a new resident—from the city no less!

Rick blinked at him, eyes absolutely owlish behind his thick glasses. "That right? Reckon he might be a little buggy in the head for buying that hunk of land Mayor?"

"I 'reckon' you ought to go and find out yourself," he huffed. While the mayor loved the town he had been elected to govern, there were times where he bemoaned the country bumpkins that made up his neighbors; were there no sophisticated young people anymore? "Her name is Claire."

* * *

It really was a crappy piece of land when she took time to think about it. There were rocks, stumps, and twigs everywhere, weeds out the wazoo, the house looked dilapidated and like it might collapse in on it self (as did many of the other buildings), and it looked like the town had started using it as a landfill.

All in all, Claire had indeed been scammed by MT Realty, but despite all this she was rather giddy with excitement. She'd just made the biggest decision of her young life, after all, and all on her own!

Grinning to herself, the blonde bounced around the property to familiarize herself with it before going in for a late lunch and to investigate her toolbox. By the end of the day, she'd already cleared a small patch of land for planting and retired early, quite pleased with herself.

* * *

The whole town was a buzz with excitement by the end of the week when the Mayor had finally gotten around to telling them about their new neighbor. They'd been passing by Chicken Lil's every chance they got just to see if they could catch sight of the illusive blonde working tirelessly in her fields, pestered Rick and Zack for details (seeing as the chicken-boy was her neighbor and would naturally know her by now and Zack went to collect the day's shipments at 5:00 pm on the dot everyday), but they didn't dare venture onto the property lest she think them rude.

It was hard, especially since she had only made short appearances to buy seeds from Jeff and was working the farm by herself, but they managed.

But then she finally got around to introducing herself to everyone, and they were only too happy to accept her into their community. Well, most of them anyway.

Claire had the dire misfortune of running into one of these people on her way to the Blacksmith's to meet with him and ask him about how to upgrade her tools.

"Why can't you ever just say something nice about the work I do, huh?! All it is, is, 'This is crap this,' and, 'This is shit that!'"

She blinked from her spot outside the door, weighing her options. At some point she stopped caring about the repercussions and just pushed into the little shop silently.

"I tell you its crap because it really is crap!" fumed a rather short old man. He was glaring up at a boy somewhere around her age, who seemed to be returning his glare with equal (if not more) intensity. "Stop putting out shitty work and maybe you'll get a compliment."

Claire blinked as she watched them, completely in awe of their stubborn rage.

"And when am I ever going to be good enough, huh?! When you drop dead and there's no one else to run the shop except your 'failure of a grandson'?!" he bellowed as he slammed his hands down on the counter. Okay, this was getting a little dangerous… "The way you treat me is bullshit Gramps! Do you have any idea how hard I work?!"

The old man snorted at him. "Apparently not hard enough if you're still making bonehead mistakes like this one," was his dry reply as he gestured to a broken broach.

Yeah, this definitely needed to be stopped, she thought as she watched the red-headed boy clench his fists in anger. "Excuse me?" she squeaked.

Gray rounded on the blonde stranger with blue eyes alit with burning fire, and she swore she was going to need to find some burn cream later just from the intensity of it. "What the hell do you want?!" he yelled.

His grandfather smacked him up side the head for his impudence. "Stop yelling at the customers or you'll find yourself out on your ass," he snapped before giving Claire a much kinder look. "You're the new farmer across the way, right? It's nice to finally meet you—the name's Saibara."

She merely watched the red-head grumble a few choice words about his grandfather, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at the ground.

"Don't you mind him," Saibara sighed. "That's just Gray, my no-good-grandson."

Gray snapped a dirty look at Saibara before storming off without another word. Wincing at the sound of the door nearly being slammed off its hinges, Claire watched him go with both fear and wonder.

* * *

There were many things that Cliff was, not that anyone really cared much. He was the wandering tramp and resident charity case of the town (not counting Carter, but that was by choice). However, as many things as he might have been if anyone had cared enough to ask, he was most certainly not a social butterfly. Uh-uh, not him! Him and people simply did not mix.

"Hi," he heard a voice call to him cheerfully.

Dark brown eyes looked up from praying to meet the kind blue ones of what must have been the new farmer in town. He vaguely recalled some of the town's gossips whispering furiously about her over the course of the last week and briefly wondered why he'd never gotten this much attention when he'd arrived. When he thought about it though, it was clear because he was plain and uninteresting to all but his room mates back at the inn, and even they had a time of keeping a conversation going with him.

Cliff looked away, face flushed red; he had his issues with people, sure, but they were no where near as bad as his issues with girls.

He saw the girl frown out of the corner of his eye and dearly hoped she would leave him be since he wasn't answering anytime soon. Unfortunately, she decided to take a seat next to him and glanced around the church in awe.

"The church here is awfully pretty," she commented. "The ones back in the city were big, sure, but they felt colder and more like a business then a place of worship."

He continued to remain silent, but she wasn't to be deterred.

After brushing a few stray strands of hair behind her hair, Claire went on, her eyes sparkling in the early morning light while the stained-glass windows illuminated her skin ethereally. "I used to wonder why they built them like office buildings when a real church was supposed to have steeples and stuff, but I guess that's just how the city is."

A little curious, he asked, "Do you pray?"

Taken aback by the sudden break in silence (he turned red again when he realized he'd spoken), she grinned. "Nah. Could never get into the whole religion thing."

"I see," he remarked, disappointed. Go figure she wouldn't believe in the Harvest Goddess; most city folk didn't.

"That's not to say I don't believe!" she recovered quickly when she saw the look on his face. "I just prefer to do it on my own time in my own way. I make daily offerings at the Goddess Pond you know."

The smile Cliff gave her was small, almost non-existent, but it was there all the same. Carter, who had been watching the exchange from where he'd been arranging his sermon for this coming Sunday, smiled at them and the small victory Claire had achieved.

* * *

Around noon was when the bell to the clinic chimed, signaling the arrival of a new patient.

Trent sighed from his spot at his desk, wishing he hadn't sent Elli on her break so that he didn't have to deal with the nuisance. He'd been so close to a break through in his research! Silencing the thought, the good doctor stood and made his way to the lobby to see what was wrong. The sight of the blonde farmer surprised him just a bit.

"Good afternoon!" she greeted him brightly.

The look he gave her was wary as he gave her a visual once over; well, there didn't appear to be anything wrong with her physically…

"You're the doctor right? I thought I'd come around and introduce myself! The name's Claire in case you hadn't heard."

"Yes, the mayor told us all about you when he came in with that bump last week," the doctor grunted, deciding she was fine if she had the energy to laugh nervously at the jab. "You're done, right? Why don't you go on your way now; I'm sure you have so much to do after all."

Claire frowned at the sarcasm drenching his words as he let them slither out of his mouth. Was a doctor supposed to be that rude when a potential patient wasn't sick? Yeesh, she'd hate to see him if she actually were!

Scratching the back of her neck nervously, she chuckled. "Well, yeah, I guess. Um, guess I'll see you around," she muttered as she turned to leave. All at once, the door flew open and a harried looking brunette crashed into her. Being taller, Claire was able to steady them both before they hit the floor. "Whoa there, where's the fire?"

Elli glanced up at the blonde in confusion before she realized who exactly she was.

"Oh my, I'm sorry!" the fairy-like young woman gasped. Almost immediately she began to look the other girl over for injuries, her clear brown eyes wide with worry. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Claire shook her head. "Not at all. I'm just fine, I promise," she chuckled. "I'm Claire by the way."

Smiling in relief, Elli introduced herself as well before peering over the taller girl's shoulder at the doctor. She read the question in her eyes before the brunette had even given voice to it.

"I'd just come over to introduce myself to y'all, that's all. In fact, I was just leaving!"

Trent watched in amusement as his nurse's face fell at that; so attached already? Sighing, he retreated back into his make-shift office, wondering what about this strange girl made her so likeable when they'd only exchanged a few words. "Take the rest of the afternoon off Elli, I'll be fine on my own."

At her squeal of delight and the slam of the clinic door, he wondered if maybe he should have gone with them.

* * *

By the late afternoon of her seventh day in Mineral Town, Claire had met and exchanged a few words (or in Elli's and Ann's case, several long conversations while she was treated to a free meal at the Inn by Doug) with everyone in town with the exception of the family who owned Chicken Lil's. It had been decided even before she'd started this short adventure that it would be her last stop, seeing as it was just up the road from her own farm, and so she'd gone about her business. She was actually rather excited to be meeting the family there; she'd always wanted to raise chickens ever since she was little, long before she'd ever thought of farming.

Bidding the smiling Old Barely and his adorable granddaughter, May, a pleasant evening, Claire headed off in Chicken Lil's general direction with a proverbial spring in her step. She grinned when she heard the loud clucks of the hens and the voice of who must have been Rick, Lillia's eldest, as he shooed them into their pens.

"Greetings," she hollered cheerfully when she was within hearing range, waving madly.

Rick looked up in surprise, having apparently not expected to see her that afternoon, before smiling shyly and waving back. "Hello," he returned as he extended his hand to her when she skipped onto the farm. "Claire, right?"

The blonde hummed her affirmation as she glanced around curiously, shaking his hand warmly. "That's me! Just thought I'd come over and say hello since we're neighbors now and all."

How kind, he thought as his smile grew into a more confident one. Honestly he hadn't really thought about going down there to say hello much, and so was slightly embarrassed that she'd been living down the road for a little over a week and they hadn't even exchanged pleasantries yet. His mother would give him a disapproving look if she knew; speaking of…

"Why don't you come in and I'll introduce you to everyone," he said suddenly and gestured back at the house. "I'm sure mom and Popuri would love to meet you."

Nodding with wide eyes, Claire followed her newest friend inside the house once the chickens were put away for the night. She was immediately greeted by a loud squeal and an eye full of pink.

"Poppy, you're crowding her," she heard Rick say sternly; ah, so he was shy around everyone else, but not with his sister. How curious.

Once she'd acquainted herself with Popuri (who had promised they would become the best of friends, even better then Ann and Elli, who had already informed her they had claimed full rights), Rick introduced her to Lillia. She smiled serenely up at the blonde farmer, apologizing for not getting up since she'd been feeling rather out of sorts lately. Claire informed her that there was nothing to apologize for and the kind woman asked her to stay for dinner.

"We're having Spa Boiled Eggs," Popuri informed her excitedly.

Grinning, Clair informed them that, "I love eggs!"

That first week ended on a good note for Claire, who had already become fast friends with three of the local girls in town and been given best wishes from everyone else. Well, mostly everyone else, but try as they would, they couldn't find any real reason to hate the new girl and her happy-go-lucky personality and go-getter attitude.

Not yet, anyways.

**END**

So what'd y'all think? Good? Bad? Still as of yet undecided? I know it was really choppy and weird, but I was trying my best to introduce Claire without going into too many details about her as a person (you'll all learn about her as we go, which is why I ended the chapter with a sense of foreboding). I want the people of Mineral Town to be excited about their new resident before shiz happens and they're all, 'wait-what?' Anyways, got some interaction with the bachelors and a few other people, but I'll officially kick it off with the next one; just wanted to get this out of the way.

Anyways, I know a lot of people describe Claire as a petite and rather girly blonde who looks rather fragile, but has this weird inner strength, but I wanted to try something a bit different. In my mind, our favorite farmer has always been robust and tall, though not too tall, with a cheerful attitude and a dreadful temper. Not to mention an epic sarcastic attitude, but much of this comes later. I'm just warning you all so you won't also be like, 'wait-what?'

**Reviews save lives. They're also used as brain fodder to keep my muse going.**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own, claim to own, or pretend to own the characters involved in this work of fiction. I would very much like to claim Claire, the ultimate Mary-Sue, but even she's owned by Natsume. Dx

Enjoy, su!

**Chapter 2**

Karen hadn't cared much for the news of the new farmer down the way, even though she had been acquainted with her almost long before anyone else in town. While she didn't care much for her position as Supermarket heiress, it did make her privy to far more information then the town gossips, so she didn't complain as much as she wanted to. It was how she'd figured out Rick had the hots for her, after all.

Aside from being the town's next Manna, Karen was also the prettiest girl there. She had long flowing blonde hair, intelligent green eyes as bright as emeralds, flawless skin and a body most men would—and did—die for. It had been decided long ago that she was the town beauty, so she usually went to great lengths to make sure it stayed that way.

Mary had been easy enough to convince she wasn't cute; the dark-haired girl was insecure enough as it was about her glasses, so a few more words was all it took to keep her in mousy frocks and sensible shoes since their early teens. Ann may have been a bit harder, but not by much; she had been wired as a tomboy from the start, so showing her how hard it was to maintain one's appearance and telling her no man would ever marry her anyways was what sealed the deal for her. Even Elli had been a cinch!—the woman was in that frumpy nurse's outfit almost 24/7 anyways, and seeing as she was far more concerned with that old bag of hers and her runty brother, she wasn't even a threat. Besides that, she was brunette, and we all know that brunettes look boring and dull when sat next to a perfect blonde like her.

Thinking about it, Popuri was really her only threat as far as looks went. The girl had unusual bubble gum pink hair, striking red eyes, and flawless skin, all courtesy of her sickly mother as far as she could tell, and a bubbly personality that made all who met her love her. That was her biggest strength, Karen decided with a stiff nod, but her biggest weakness was her naïve (i.e., stupid) attitude and overbearing brother; Rick never let her out of his sight if he could help it, and in turn she'd turned into a spoiled brat.

But all that was going to change.

The arrival of Claire had sparked a kind of excitement that hadn't really been present in Mineral Town for a long time, and she just knew scandal was afoot.

At first, when she had first come in to inquire about seeds, Karen had ignored her while her father and the girl had chatted away, far too busy manicuring her nails to pay attention. It was only when she heard Jeff sigh that she looked up and caught a flash of golden sun blonde as it disappeared through the front door that she began to wonder if maybe she ought to have at least sized her up. But then Karen had never had any real competition, so she brushed the idea off and finished her nails for her date with Rick.

How pretty could the girl be if she bought that dumpy farm just to get out of the city?

Her answer came at the end of that first week when she came round again to meet her and her mother.

At first she'd been shocked; not only was the girl pretty, but she was TALL!—at least by Mineral Town standards anyways. Even in her dirty overalls Karen could see the long shapely legs just begging for a pair of shorts in place of the hot denim pants, her wide (but not too wide) hips that swayed with each step, and a sizable bust that would probably be just right for cupping. Her messy hair was indeed sun gold and glimmered even without the proper hair care products, skin as flawless as her own but with just a hint of a tan instead of the full-bodied one Karen got at the beginning of every Spring so she would be ready for Summer. The smile she flashed them was engaging and impish, with just a hint of innocence, and suddenly the other girl was very, VERY worried.

The new girl's eyes were what drove the final nail in the coffin; they were bright and intelligent, darker then sapphires while mirroring the endless sky at the same time. This wasn't good.

"I've actually never done anything remotely close to farming," she heard her tell Sasha. "So I'm pretty beat by the end of the day. But Zack has been really nice and been showing me how to use my tools properly so I could at least get those turnip seeds planted, and I go up to Mother's Hill each day with Gotz to collect herbs and flowers so that I'm at least making _some_ money until they ripen."

And such a hard worker! She could see in her mother's eyes the sudden desire to keep this girl like she was her own daughter, who was lazy and would much rather take care of her looks then her duties. Obviously Claire didn't care much for her own appearance if the twigs stuck in her hair were any indication, but instead of plucking them out in embarrassment, she wore them like badges; Karen would never dare to let anything get caught in her hair except Rick's fingers, if even that!

Sasha disappeared into the back after her husband for a few moments, and immediately Karen's polite indifference toward the other girl changed to raw, animalistic rage.

"You're not welcome," she hissed quietly.

At first Claire was taken aback, but very quickly it turned into annoyance. "Apparently I am if everyone here seems to like me so far," she snapped.

Huh, she had a bit of a backbone; this one was no meek mouse like Mary. "You don't belong here, so just leave before you cause any trouble."

The blonde stared at her for half a second before breaking out into a knowing grin. "You're threatened by me," she stated.

Karen bristled at her, but did not deny it.

"You were the shit," and the purple-clad girl was surprised that the farmer gave way to cursing so easily. Obviously she had no problem with it like Elli did, who scolded you if you even said the word 'crap', "And now you think I've come to usurp your position."

Speaking elegantly and intelligently after cursing meant she was definitely smarter then Popuri, who would have cocked her head to the side and asked what 'usurp' meant before shrugging it off and returning to her chickens. "Like I said, leave before you cause us all trouble and ruin everything."

Blue eyes sparkled with the kind of intelligence usually attributed to Ann, who was notorious for knowing things about people before they even said anything. The problem with Claire was she was better at it and apparently had no scruples about using it against her; in that way, she was much more ruthless then Karen herself.

"I don't know what you think I'm here for, but moving in as the Queen Bee is the last thing I wanna do. So just shut the hell up and let me get on with my business, and you can get on with yours. I won't bother you if you don't bother me, savvy?"

Honestly Karen didn't want to let her get on with her life—just her being in town meant that she was now number two in every guy's thoughts, and Karen had never been second best at anything. So she told her to fuck off in a very unlady-like tone and smiled smugly at the cross look she received in return.

"Alright, suit yourself," Claire shrugged after she'd calmed herself. "But just remember you asked for it when this whole thing blows up in your face."

She left ten minutes later, when Jeff gifted her with a bag of grass seeds while Sasha wasn't looking (and probably wouldn't have minded since it was Claire). Karen immediately went back to primping to cover up her insecurity and fear.

**End**

Second chapter ftw! Honestly, don't kill me for portraying Karen this way—I don't actually hate her you know. I mean, I don't like her, but I don't hate her enough to bash her. I actually wasn't planning on turning her into the villain of this story, but a slice of life story really isn't my style, and after the way I ended one, I needed SOMEONE to instigate psycho Claire. And as the quote-unquote 'town beauty' in MFoMT, I figured it would be easy to make her really shallow and mean—far easier then I anticipated! So obviously I had to make her smart to go with it, and she just turned out awesome, which meant I had to tweak the other girls to keep up with her. Mary's shy as it is, but I made her meeker and insecure thanks to Karen, Ann has always been a tomboy, but Karen filled her head with the thought that she'd never find a husband so she wouldn't bother prettying herself up, Popuri, bless her heart, is just an airhead, and Elli is a frumpy nurse. Not much competition if you think about it, but that's the beauty of Claire, who will not only end this reign of terror, but bring out the best in the other girls as well. I'm not telling you all how since I don't even know yet myself, and the ending is still a mystery! We'll just see how this goes, yeah?

Also, I don't have any pairings decided, so I'm open to suggestions. Just send them in a review and I'll tally them up later. Thanks!

**Reviews save lives. And can be used to build a raft and get the Author off the God forsaken island in Lost.**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own, claim to own, or pretend to own the characters involved in this work of fiction. If I did, I'd make it way more epic; farming would be a fight for your life every day!

Enjoy, su!

**Chapter 3**

Sometime during the middle of her second week in Mineral Town, Claire managed to find some free time to visit Cliff and Pastor Carter at the church. At first she was loath to leave her farm for any length of time, but upon remembering that even farmers need time to play, she set out with a skip in her step.

That is until she quite literally bumped into Gray.

After catching herself so that she didn't fall, the feisty blonde glared up at him. "Watch it Berlin," she snarled.

Gray raised an eyebrow; he hadn't expected this kind of animosity after their first meeting, though Saibara had warned him to be careful. "Berlin?"

"Didn't you pay attention in history? The Berlin Wall was what separated North from South Germany until it's fall in the early nineties," she sneered at him.

Now ever so slightly irritated, the red-head yanked on the bill of his hat to keep himself from snapping. "I know what the Berlin wall is dumbass! I'm asking why you're calling me that."

Not to be deterred, Claire elaborated, "Because you may be all big and bad now yelling at old men and girls, but you're gonna fall one day just like the Wall did. Bullying and brute strength will only get you so far."

Her prediction chilled him to the bone.

* * *

"I heard you got into an altercation with Karen when you went round to the store last Sunday."

Claire blinked up at Carter from her seat in the front pew, distracted from her (attempted) conversation with Cliff. He was smiling serenely as always, but she knew from experience that just because a snake was smiling didn't mean it wasn't planning on eating you. The folk of Mineral Town were simple, but Carter had been an outsider at some point as well; he struck her as just as underhanded as Karen when it suited him.

Except that he tried to use his powers for good.

"I did," she admitted slowly. The pastor was a cool guy from what she'd seen, but she still didn't trust that constant smile on his face.

Carter came and sat beside her, and Cliff took his leave for the day rather early. "I'll see you tomorrow Father," he told the older man quietly. He was gone before he could be acknowledged.

Now she was nervous; sure, Claire was a grown woman now, but whenever she was alone with someone like Carter, she always felt like she was going to be scolded. She sat up straighter despite herself.

"There's no need to be so nervous, I just wanted to ask what it was about. Maybe there's a way we can bring it to a favorable conclusion?" he suggested with a chuckle.

Relaxing just the tiniest bit, the blonde shook her head. "Not unless you all run me out of town," she muttered darkly. The priest blinked. "I'm sorry Father, but I don't think me and Karen are going to be getting on any time soon. She seems to think I'm out to get her."

"Is that so? She was in here just the other day telling me she would very much like to start over you know."

"Bullshit!" she yelled before giving the man an apologetic look. "I mean, please! From what Ann's told me already, Karen doesn't like anyone coming in and disrupting her kingdom and me moving in just did it in a big way. The only way we might ever get past this is if I were hideously disfigured or gone, and neither is an option right now."

Carter cocked an eyebrow. "Right now?"

She shrugged. "I work on a farm, don't I? Chances are I'll get trampled by something or attacked by chickens or wild dogs. Heck, I could lose a hand just trying to cut weeds with my scythe! And unless my brother comes down to drag me home, I ain't leaving. My point is, nothing is set in stone."

Now completely distracted from their previous conversation, the priest nodded solemnly. How very deep of her to say!—and here he'd thought her some kind of superficial city girl along with a few of his neighbors. He'd been in the country too long if he was starting to conform to the thoughts of the town's inhabitants. Maybe it was time for a change?

"Ah, I gotta go Father! Zack promised he'd teach me to fish when he came to pick up today's shipment!"

Carter waved after her with a smile, watching her bounce out the door and past the church window. After a second or two, he realized she'd duped him and run out on the matter at hand. She was almost as good as he was at subject dodging!

Heaving a heavy sigh, he commenced the rest of his duties for the day.

* * *

Usually Ann had a very low tolerance for bullshit when it came to Karen or her dad ragging on her about her tomboyish ways, but she could keep her mouth shut when it counted.

Today was one of those days she was particularly good at it, but dearly wished she wasn't. Karen had stopped by at her usual time to get shit-faced drunk, with Rick in tow on one of their 'dates', and after a glass of wine or four, had proceeded to insult everyone in the room and their mother. This wasn't anything new (everyone knew how rotten the blonde's personality was when totally sloshed—particularly how much meaner she could be), but it had made her nervous when Mary, of all people, had decided to come for a visit. The look on her face when she spotted the intoxicated woman could only be described as raw terror.

"Mmaaary!" Karen called with a brilliant smile. Ann knew that smile, and knew that Mary knew that smile, and they both knew what was coming next, but she couldn't bring herself to distract the blonde so the poor girl could escape; it was going to be like watching a bad train wreck in slow motion. "Come on over so I can see how much uglier you've gotten."

Seeing no other alternative and realizing that Ann was muted in horror, Mary took a seat at the bar next to the other woman. She refused to meet her gaze, however, and that suited the other just fine.

Almost immediately she yanked at a hank of the girl's dark hair and sniffed it, ignoring her cry of protest. "Wha's wrong wit yer hair? It looks like you lost a fight wit a scy'," she crowed before yanking again. "Smells like dog shit too."

_Ignore her,_ a tiny voice in her head urged as she trembled. _She's just being mean because she's insecure._

But wasn't Mary falling for it because she was too? She couldn't remember the last time someone had called her pretty or even cute, as people were prone to with Ann or Popuri. Heck, even her own parents never complimented her anymore!—her father was far more concerned with plants then his daughter's woes and her mother used her problems as fodder for the rumor mill. When had this all happened, she wondered.

"—an' you look like holy hell. I mean, seriously! Have you ne'er heard of estringent? Maybe if you use some, yer face won' be all cratery an'-an' fat!"

"Karen," Rick warned, voice low when he caught sight of the tears pricking the poor girl's eyes. He placed a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. "I think that's enough."

She shoved his hand away and glared at him. "I'll say when I've ha' 'nough Chicken Boy," she snapped before turning back to Mary with the same smile. Would the torture never end? "You'll end up jus' like Ann, y'know? Old, alone, an' fat because you can't get yerself a man."

The tears were coming hard now and Mary didn't know how to stop them. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the raw rage on the red-headed girl's face as she glared daggers at Karen, but said nothing in reply. It was a sad day when even Ann believed the words of a mean drunk.

Grinning like a snake, the blonde opened her mouth to let spew a another insult when the smile turned into a horrified 'o' and she let out a shriek as someone's glass was upturned and it's contents spilled all over her head and clothes. Mary looked up at her savior in awe.

"Time to sober up," Claire said coldly, eyes a steely blue as she regarded the other girl. "Take her home Rick."

'Chicken Boy' nodded quickly as he grabbed the still sputtering heiress and ushered her out the door, muttering something about dumping her the next day. The blonde glared at the rest of the bar's inhabitants in a way that clearly told them to 'get the fuck out' before turning it on Mary. Her gaze softened when she flinched.

She grabbed a napkin and started dabbing at the now sobbing girl's face after removing her glasses. "You're lucky I got here before she started in on these," she said, indicating the thick spectacles.

"She ran out of insults for those a long time ago," Ann informed her quietly.

Claire paused to look at the red-head; she looked like a few of Karen's words had stung a little too much and needed a moment too, but said nothing about it. She returned her attention to Mary.

"Hey now, let me see what the big deal is about," she cooed gently as she lifted the girl's chin so she could see her fully. Large black eyes blinked blindly up at her, but she could see the hurt and devastation only a few words from a mean girl could cause. "Well aren't you pretty."

Mary blinked at her before snatching her glasses back and replacing them. "You're lying," she whispered. "I'm ugly."

The taller girl frowned and shared a look with Ann. "Contrary to popular belief, I am no liar. I don't know if Ann's told you yet, but I'm blunt as a worn out blade when it suits me. If I tell you I think you're pretty, I damn well mean it."

All she could do was nod numbly as she looked up at the farmer; she'd humor her words for now because she'd saved her from Karen, but would stare at herself in the mirror later and point out all that was wrong with her. It was a nightly ritual she'd kept since she was eight.

"Now Karen, Karen is ugly as sin," she continued with such conviction that the other two girls blinked. "She's mean, rude, lazy, and doesn't give two shits 'bout no one but herself. You should have seen how ugly she was as she was calling you it."

She'd never thought about that, though the rest was most certainly true. Ann agreed whole-heartedly with a nod.

"Here, here!" she cried.

Claire glared at her. "You're not out of the woods yet. Why didn't you jump to her defense before it got so bad?" she scolded, and Ann looked away in shame.

"She was afraid Karen would start in on her," came the librarian's soft reply. "Ann's never worn a dress as far as I can remember because Karen told her she looked like an ugly boy instead of a girl."

"That's an awfully childish remark. I'll bet you two were kids when she said that," the blonde mused. Ann nodded guiltily. "The woman's a monster."

"No kidding," snorted the red-head. "She's been like this ever since she realized she got more attention than us for being cuter. It was like awakening a sleeping beast!"

"And none of you have ever done anything about it?"

"How can we? Karen's parents own the Supermarket, and even if Jeff and Sasha are nice most of the time, if she goes running to them about something, we're blacklisted! Mary here might survive, but my dad's business would die if we couldn't get ingredients for his food," she explained. There had been a close call a few years back when Ann actually had stood up for herself, but her dad had made her apologize for something that wasn't even her fault and her trust in him had been shaken ever since. If she couldn't rely on her only remaining parent to protect her, who could she?

Claire shook her head. "That's pretty dirty," she sighed. "And here I thought I'd left those types of girls behind when I came here. Turns out life is exactly like high school, but worse."

"No classes in between to take refuge in?" Ann guessed.

"Exactly."

The blonde turned her attention back to Mary, who had been quiet in the hopes that she would be ignored. Things usually went well when she was ignored; no one made fun of her and no one whispered about her. Best of all, no one looked at her. But Claire—Claire wasn't about to let the situation go, and as much as she was grateful for before, it was slightly irritating.

Surprised that she had let herself become annoyed with someone, she looked up at the other girl with wide eyes. Her thick glasses only magnified them even more.

"You, my friend, need to stand up for yourself once in a while," she informed her sternly. "It's no wonder you get pushed around! You just sat there and took Karen's blows like you were a punching bag! She may as well have hit you!"

May as well, yeah, but if she had been putting up with Karen for as long as she had been, she'd have stayed quiet too. At least until the carnage was over.

All of a sudden the girl became thoughtful as she scrutinized both her and then Ann, who shifted uncomfortably under her intense gaze. The grin that broke out over her face could only be described as something like the sun rising for the first time for a man who had never been able to see. The comparison sparked something in her and she reminded herself to write it down when she returned home; she might be able to use it for her novel.

"The first day of Summer heralds in Beach Day, right?" she asked excitedly.

Ann nodded slowly. "Yeah, everyone goes down to the beach to watch the dog contest and eat at the Snack Shack. Why?" The way Claire was looking at them promised pain and suffering, although she wasn't sure whether it was good or bad.

"You two come down to my place at 7:00 am and we'll head down together, okay? Maybe bring Elli and Popuri and we'll make a time of it," she replied instead as she all but ran for the door. Looking at the clock, Mary realized how late it was. Ann was too busy being irritated about having her question dodged to notice. "I'll see y'all later, okay? Bye!"

And she was gone, leaving behind an empty bar and two terribly confused girls. When Doug came out from the back and saw that all his customers had mysteriously gone missing, he of course blamed Ann, but she was far too busy trying to figure out what her friend was up to, to care. Something big was going to happen the first of Summer.

* * *

Mary went home that night and commenced her usual routine. Bath, dress for bed, and brush her teeth before staring at her reflection for and hour to point out all her imperfections. What was not usual, however, was the doubt in the back of her mind about Karen's words.

_Well aren't you pretty!_

She was lying she told herself bitterly as if to bat the words away. She was hideous and no man would have her, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. It was best to just condemn herself to the life of a spinster. Or join a nunnery. Was there one anywhere nearby?

_Contrary to popular belief, I don't lie._

Despite herself, Mary dared to hope. Just a little bit.

**End**

We see more monster Karen here, and I'm loving it. I hope you all do too. Anyways, a bit of Gray at the beginning to show that I haven't forgotten any of the bachelors and Carter learns a small lesson himself. Looking over all of this, it seems like I'm focusing more on the girls then anyone else since Karen is such a witch in this story, but that's not true! I'm just setting up for all the drama that is to come between Claire and the villagers, who think she's cool right now because she hasn't rubbed her the wrong way. Also, if anyone is wondering why Carter knew about the mini-fight between Claire and Karen, Manna had actually been passing by and mentioned it to Anna while Sasha wasn't there. So of course our favorite priest heard it, seeing as Rose Square is just down the way.

Anyways, Summer looks like it'll be fun doesn't it? And of course with the arrival of summer, there is also the arrival of Kai, the other black sheep in town. Mwahahaha, this'll be great. But first!—we gotta finish off Spring. If I can keep from fixing this chapter because I really hate how it started…*shrugs*

**Reviews save lives. They also help the Author pull herself out of some sticky situations with the law.**


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own, claim to own, or pretend to own the characters involved in this work of fiction. Wish I could own a few people though…like May and her cuteness.

Enjoy, su!

**Chapter 4**

It was raining.

It was raining, and it was raining hard. Usually Cliff didn't care if it rained since the church closed it's doors so Carter could catch up with the doctor over a glass of wine, but today he did. Not because of the church, but because of the shivering bit of warmth clutched to his chest; if he couldn't find some place warm soon, it might not survive.

Making the decision to brave the storm in the hopes of making it to Saibara's (the forge was constantly going, so it was perfect), the brunette set out at a slow run so as not to jostle the bundle in his arms. The Inn didn't allow dogs because of Tiger, the establishment's ratter, and Doug had all but thrown him out for even suggesting they keep him until the poor thing got better. You and Ann will get attached to it, the mustachioed man had argued pointedly, and I barely have enough room for one tramp as it is; no need for another.

Cliff had never really been irritated with anyone before except his mother, but he'd really felt like he wanted to rip that bit of bristle on the man's lip for the insult; he could call Cliff a tramp all he liked since that was how he preferred to live, but it wasn't the puppy's fault that he was probably now an orphan and homeless. He'd left before he could be tempted.

The forge was closed for the day he discovered when he arrived, and for a moment he wondered if he was cursed or if Saibara had kicked the bucket at last; the forge was never closed!

"Cliff? What are you doing out here in the rain?"

Oh Goddess, not her. He really didn't want to be caught looking like a drowned rat by who was quickly becoming the prettiest girl in town; he was pathetic enough on his own as it was.

"I was trying to find someplace warm," he replied quietly, wondering if she could hear him over the pounding rain.

His vision was suddenly filled with yellow and blue, and he wondered for a brief second if she could get any taller. Then he realized the blonde was holding an umbrella decorated with bright yellow sunflowers and there were bits of blue to represent the sky; how appropriate. "Saibara closes the forge on Thursadys, remember?" Oh right, he'd forgotten. That would probably explain why Gray had slept in another half hour that morning. "Is that a puppy?"

Cliff blinked as her blue eyes gleamed up at him, full of excitement and adoration; she must have really liked dogs.

"That's why I'm out here. I found him in the gutter on the side of the Inn, but Doug won't let me bring him in because of Tiger," he explained. "He's sick and cold."

The excitement turned to worry when she examined the poor thing, and then the worry turned to alarm. Grabbing his wrist, she yanked him down the road toward her farm. "We have to get him inside **now**."

He'd been trying all morning to do just that he wanted to say, but the burning blush on his cheeks kept him from doing so. When was the last time a girl had touched him willingly and without any hint of disgust? If memory served, never; how sad was that?

They walked briskly down the cobbled road to her farm, Cliff slouching so that he could take shelter under her tiny umbrella and at least keep the dog dry. The end result was him basically being on top of her, but the girl never complained about the proximity. In fact, it seemed like she hadn't really noticed if the determined look on her face was any indication. He might have been insulted if he weren't so nervous and worried.

"Set him on the bed," Claire ordered when she'd dragged them inside. The cottage, having apparently been repaired slightly since she'd moved in, was warmer then it looked from the outside and Cliff shivered despite himself. She looked at him for a moment before heading over to one of the many trunks laying about. "Sorry about the mess, but the house isn't exactly big enough for a chest of drawers or three and I can't afford an upgrade just yet. Here, take these and dry yourselves off." She handed him some towels, a smaller one for the puppy and two large ones for him; was she expecting him to get undressed?

The thought brought a deep blush to his cheeks till she plucked the extra towel from his arms and began to dry her hair. He'd been so concerned with not touching her that he hadn't realized she'd gotten wet trying to keep him and the puppy from getting wetter.

Cliff immediately went about towel drying the dog off, deciding that he could wait a few more minutes. There was a sigh behind him and suddenly his vision was covered by soft terry cloth fabric, all a dark blue. "I know you're worried about him, but you're important too you know," he heard her mutter as she scrubbed his head with the towel. "Keep going, I got you."

Warmed by her words, the brunette continued his work while she took care of him. It was probably a good idea that she was helping him, since he'd always caught colds easily and the last thing his wallet needed was the dent buying medicine would leave. Trent was nice, but he was fair and wouldn't give him a discount just because he was the poor tramp. Thinking about it, no one gave him a break.

They continued on in silence after that, and when Claire was satisfied that neither dog nor boy was in any more danger, she flounced back to another of her trunks and pulled out a T-shirt that might have belonged to a man and a blanket and tossed them at him. The blanket was self-explanatory, so he immediately wrapped the suddenly alert puppy in it before staring questioningly at the shirt. She just rolled her eyes at him.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'll turn around so you can change," she huffed sarcastically. Brown eyes widened at that and his face turned red. He'd never gotten undressed in front of a girl. Hers widened as well when she realized what he was thinking. "You really don't have any experience with girls, do you?"

He shook his head no, drying brown hair flying around his face. "People don't really notice me," he explained quietly.

"Bollocks!" The force of her protest surprised him. "People notice you! I've seen it! But they ignore you because you never say anything."

What an astute observation, but he didn't think that was it. "People don't notice me because they think I'm boring. When I arrived here in town last Fall, no one noticed for a while; when you got here, they were clamoring to meet you."

She raised an eyebrow at that. "Maybe, but I don't really care for all the attention. It makes running errands really hard when Manna and them want to ask me a hundred questions about the city."

That…was also true he supposed. He selfishly sought out attention he would probably never get, and she wanted no part of it.

"No one would notice if I left anyways," he murmured despite himself, the melancholy thoughts making him slump against the edge of her bed. Cliff watched the little puppy longingly; it started wagging it's tail weakly when it noticed what he was doing. "Even this guy'll forget me after a while, and I practically saved his life."

Claire snorted. "Bullshit," she interjected vehemently. "I, for one, would miss you, and despite what people think about dogs being dumb, so would he. Now go change into that shirt at least, or I'll make you; I promise not to look."

The threat alone was enough to send him running to the other side of the house, where he quickly shed his tunic and replaced it with the old shirt. It smelled faintly of soap and cologne, and Cliff wondered if it belonged to a boyfriend she'd had. It was certainly odd for her to keep around men's clothing, but he supposed he was grateful that he at least didn't have to sit around in a wet shirt on top of wet pants; he knew it was too much to hope for that she'd have the latter, and decided against asking anyways. He was taking too much from her as it was.

When he returned to the bed, Cliff noticed that Claire was petting the puppy's wet fur gently while humming to it. He actually smiled at the sight.

"You like dogs," he observed, once more, out loud.

"You could say that," she agreed without looking up. "But you could also say that I have a soft spot for strays. I always did bring things home if I caught them out in a rainstorm."

* * *

Cliff left Claire's farm, still dressed in the old T-shirt, and with her umbrella in hand. He felt a bit silly for using it, but was thankful none the less when he saw that the rain still hadn't let up.

She'd decided to keep the puppy, if only so that he could keep her company. It was a good idea he'd thought since no one else in town had room or liked dogs much; Rick because of his chickens, Elli because she was so busy taking care of Ellen and Stu, Barely already had Hannah and didn't need another mouth to feed aside from May, etc, etc…Personally he was happy that she was taking the dog in since there was no way he could take care of a growing puppy on his non-existent salary.

But it wasn't just that she had taken him in, either; she'd also taken Cliff in even though they'd only really spoken a few times since her moving there. Everyone automatically wrote him off since he never really spoke, but she had opened her house to him and invited him back anytime to visit little Morpheus (the name she had given him). Claire had taken in a tramp when no one else would because she wanted to and not because she had to.

And that thought alone warmed his heart.

**End**

Sorry for the late update!

I'm not exactly pleased with the end of this chapter, but I think I got my point across. So! We had some Cliff interaction in this one! And a lot of allusions to his being a wanderer as well. We also got Claire her puppy (I'd forgotten to write in she even had a dog, but this is much better I think; poetic if you will). Isn't it weird how that dog is on the farm automatically when you start the game? I always thought it was. At least with FoMT you kind of figure the random puppy is the dead dude's dog's offspring. –sighs- Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who notices these things.

But I digress. Things are moving along slowly, which sucks I know, but we'll have Summer and the arrival of Kai in a chapter or two, I promise. Just give it a bit because they need to move like this so we can get use to Claire and her eccentricities and we can see how she interacts with the people in town more. We already know that she's good friends with Elli, Popuri, Ann, and Mary, bad friends with Karen, irritated with Gray, and now fond of Cliff—but not who she likes just yet. There's also the fact that she hasn't really interacted with anyone else, but I shall remedy this, I swear! Look forward to next chapter cause it'll be a doozy. Also, I've decided to update every two weeks; I tend to pump out chapters in a matter of hours if I'm particularly inspired, but I haven't been lately, so this'll give me time to catch up and find my muse. Until next time!

**Reviews save lives. They also break falls, so think about reviewing so that when the Author decides to jump, she has a cushy landing.**


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own, claim to own, or pretend to own the characters involved in this work of fiction. Or do I? Nope, guess not…

Enjoy, su!

**Chapter 5**

The people of Mineral Town were slowly discovering that their new neighbor wasn't all she was cracked out to be when they heard about an incident she'd had with Won, the local conman. Apparently she'd bought one of his 'special' apples for a 1000 G she really shouldn't have spent and when, upon biting into it, she discovered it was just a regular apple and demanded her money back, a fight ensued. The argument had turned ugly when the Asian salesman had made some crude references to her mother and she'd punched him. He wore that black eye for a week, and it still wasn't gone when the Spring Cooking Festival rolled around.

Presently Manna thought the girl was exactly the scandal the town needed; her life was so much more exciting compared to her own mundane one, and so she was a frequent subject of her little gossip circle with Anna and Sasha. Usually Sasha was the one to say good things about her while Anna was somewhere in the middle and Manna made remarks about things that probably weren't even true, but the last two had been known to switch positions on the matter from time to time. The time when Cliff had come wandering into the Inn, for instance, wearing a shirt no one recalled him owning and carrying a bright sunflower umbrella weeks ago had been a hot topic when Claire came in to return his tunic and take the contraption and shirt back. They'd debated about them as a couple until they were blue in the face, but eventually dropped it when there was no other proof to be found.

That didn't mean that there wasn't other stuff to gossip about.

Rick had broken up with Karen the morning after her drunken verbal attack on Mary; when asked why by several of the villagers, who had just assumed they would get married, he smiled and said she wasn't who he thought she was. Manna later heard that the one to stop the heiress had been the new farmer herself and debated with the other women about whether or not Claire had stolen the Chicken Boy from Karen without realizing it. They were surprisingly close, she whispered in Sasha's ear.

Presently the three were debating the girl's relationship history and whether or not she was as wholesome as their daughters when the subject of their conversation came waltzing through Rose Square with little May hanging from her hand. The hush between them could have been cut with a knife as they all watched her.

"Ladies," she greeted politely and nudged May.

The little girl smiled shyly up at them and nodded. "Good afternoon Miss Sasha, Miss Anna, Miss Manna. How are you?"

Sasha bent down pat May on the head and smiled at her. "Good after noon May. Where are you off to today? The church as usual?"

"Uh-uh!" she shook her head, thick braids flying about her cherubic face. "Miss Claire is taking me to the Inn! Miss Ann promised to teach me how to make cookies today."

Smiling, she asked. "And are you planning to give them to Stu afterward? I'm sure he'll pleased as long as his dinner isn't spoiled."

At this May scowled and Claire looked slightly embarrassed. "I'm mad at Stu," she stated with such force that the older woman blinked, as did the others. "He chased me around yesterday with a bug and laughed at me after saying Miss Claire was cooler 'cause she wasn't afraid of them."

"I snatched it from him so he'd leave her alone," the blonde explained simply. "Now he won't leave me alone. I'm flattered he likes me now, but I have farm work to do; I can't be looking after him all the time."

Sasha stood with a curious look on her face which mirrored the rest of her circle. Wasn't she looking after May when she should have been working?

Claire glanced at her watch before smiling apologetically and taking her leave, May still attached to her hand as they chatted amiably. The three women watched them go with unreadable eyes, each wondering just what was going on with their new neighbor; she had seemed nice enough when she'd first come around to meet them, but now that they thought about it, was she really? Most of the girls in town got along with her, May adored her (along with Stu now, apparently), and she was quickly becoming good friends with Cliff and Rick, the two outcasts. Sure, she seemed all nice and perfect now, but with a shiver of anticipation Manna wondered how long that would last. The thought excited her at the same time it worried her two friends.

* * *

Cookies with May and Ann hadn't been as much of a headache as Claire had been anticipating it would be; the little girl was a fast learner and paid close attention to everything she was being shown only to emulate it with strict precision. Neither of the two girls had a younger sister, so after the dough was in the oven in the back, they had immediately headed up to the girls' room to play dress-up with her. The end result was pink and red finger nails (neither could really agree until May informed them that she liked both) and a pair of buns decorated with ribbons.

When Barley came by to pick his granddaughter up, he was surprised by how pretty she looked and agreed to try one of the cookies she'd made. It wouldn't agree with him later, but seeing how much she looked like Joanna made him want to do anything she asked so long as she continued smiling.

"Thanks again for helping me Ann. She was pretty down in the dumps yesterday after I chased Stu off," Claire said once both grandfather and granddaughter were gone.

Smiling, the redhead shook her head. "It was no problem! I think this turned out to be much more fun then either of us had anticipated anyway; we should play dress-up with May more often."

"Definitely. Anyways, I gotta get home to feed Roxie and Morpheus."

"Oh I forgot you just bought your first chicken! How is she working out?" Ann asked excitedly; Jeff had jacked up eggs at the Supermarket again despite their tab (she reckoned it had something to do with Sasha again) and Won charged ridiculous prices anyways, so the prospect of free eggs was too good to pass up.

Claire was hip to her game, but smiled anyways. "A total diva for a chicken, but she get's on well with the dog, so I'm not complaining. I'll get you some eggs when she starts producing, kay?"

The other girl sighed dreamily. "That would be wonderful. Heck, I may just start paying you for eggs and milk from now on instead of going to Jeff for them. I mean—as long as you don't charge too much too," she stuttered.

"Best friend discount," she replied with a shake of her head; Ann's face split into a ridiculously happy grin when she realized Claire had called her, her best friend. Elli and Popuri may have also been in the same category, but just the fact that she had called her that after such a short amount of time made her insanely happy. "Tell Cliff to come on by to see Morph when he gets the chance; the little guy's gotten huge since he last saw him and I'm sure Morpheus would be happy to see his rescuer."

"Will do," she assured.

* * *

The late afternoon sunlight burned slowly, warming the earth one last time before the moon rose and cooled it all over again. Building after building was painted in brilliant pinks and oranges and looked almost picturesque as a few of the shops readied themselves for closing time. At nearly five o'clock, Gray had been off work and in the library for hours trying to woo the shy librarian. To no avail, it seemed once more, as he stepped out into the waning light and ignored the beauty around him.

Why should he admire it when he had failed once more to grab Mary's attention?

"Fuck this," he muttered to himself as he walked briskly back towards the Inn. "If she hasn't noticed me now, she won't notice me ever."

There were plenty of fish in the sea, he told himself without conviction. While he'd always thought that he and Mary would hook-up (seeing as how they had been inseparable since her arrival in town as a child), he didn't have to limit his options to just her. Let's see, there was Elli who would be hot if she ever lost the apron and frumpy dress and wore some heels and a mini-skirt; Popuri was an airhead, but she obviously knew how to take care of a guy if Kai was any indication; Karen was hot stuff anyways, but if her break up with Rick was any indication, pretty possessive and psychotic; and Claire…

Gray ended that train of thought right there when he realized he had listed the annoying blonde along with the other bachelorettes in town. After quickly scratching her off his mental list, he tallied the girls up only to end up with…three. What the hell? Were there really so few girls his age in Mineral Town? Thinking it through once more, he crossed Ann off as his sister and Mary as currently unattainable and realized, with some frustration, that there was slim pickings all around. Popuri was already semi-attached anyway, and Elli was far more concerned with her grandmother, brother and duties, so Claire and Karen really were the only ones left.

The old adage 'Beggars can't be choosers' flashed through his mind like a neon sign, and with a low growl, started kicking a trash bin on the side of the road.

"What did that poor trash can ever do to you, you bully?"

Speak of the devil…

"What do you want?" he hissed after giving the bin one last kick for good measure.

The blonde held her hands up in surrender. "Whoa now! I'm just an innocent bystander on my way home! No need to eat me alive!"

Normally that would have been amusing, despite the animosity between them; today it was just annoying.

"Go to hell Claire," was his waspish reply as he brushed past her. Suddenly there was a 'whoosh' of air and his head felt naked; he spun around to find her examining his hat curiously.

When she noticed him glaring at her, she grinned. "Well now, where did you come from? Surely you're not Gray, the no-good-grandson of Saibara the Blacksmith!" she giggled as she twirled it in her hands before placing it on her head. The hat was too large and looked ridiculous on her; Gray had to actually suppress a smile. "Ah, I caught that!"

"Give me my hat," he growled as convincingly as he could and held out a hand for it.

She scoffed at it and danced back a few steps and out of reach. "Not till you tell me what's got your knickers in a twist," she challenged.

Blue met blue and narrowed in irritation. "Why do you care anyways? You hate me, remember?"

There was the clucking of a tongue and Claire shook her head at him. "Such a strong word; I think a more appropriate phrase would be 'I just really, really, really don't like you." When he stared at her blankly, her eyes widened. "Don't tell me you haven't heard of the Plain White T's!"

"The what now?"

She slapped a hand over her forehead and begged the Harvest Goddess not to do this to her before moving on. "What I mean is, Ann and I just had a grand old time with May, and the last thing I want is for you to piss her off with your moodiness—so spill to Mama Claire!"

Gray just shook his head at her. "You're insane," he informed her tiredly. "You don't want anything to do with me most of the time anyways, and then suddenly want to be my best friend—"

"Now I wouldn't say that…"

"—when it looks like I'm having a bad day. Either make up your mind about hating me and leave me alone or find a way to make Mary like me."

The omission of his feelings for the librarian had surprised him just as much as it had surprised her and he shuffled under her intense gaze uncomfortably. What was with him and his big mouth lately?

After a moment of silence, Claire sighed and pulled the hat off and handed it back to him. He snatched it back to replace it where it belonged, yanking on the bill to hide his red face. His mouth opened to tell her to forget about it when she spoke once more.

"Maybe you ought to look at yourself before you try to pursue someone like Mary."

Now that made no sense. "Excuse me?"

She shrugged. "Mary's real insecure about herself right now 'cause of Karen, so someone like you really isn't what she needs. Sure, you have stuff in common, but she won't let it develop any further then common interests because you're not her 'prince charming'," was her explanation on the matter.

Gray's eyebrows shot up into his hairline as he regarded her quietly. "And just how, pray tell, have you deduced that after only being here less then a season?"

The look she shot him radiated pride as she grinned. "I was a psychology major."

**End**

And I'll bet you were wondering why she was so good with people! Seriously, has no one ever thought of that? In the game everyone likes you and totally tells you all their problems, so why not? Anyways, I am SO sorry it took me this long to update! Some stuff is going on at home and at school, and I need to take some time off to fix it. I'm still gonna update as much as I can, but unfortunately I won't be writing as much as I like. I'd like to finish the season off before I disappear completely, so keep an eye out for another update real soon.

I'm so sorry guys!!

**Reviews save lives. And keep muses alive just when you think they're gonna die.**


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own, claim to own, or pretend to own the characters involved in this work of fiction. I do own copies of the game, though, so I wonder if that counts…

A Brief Side Note: I would like to _personally_ dedicate this chapter to Sir Starlll, who has lit a fire under my ass as far as this story is concerned--and not in a good way. But more of that later.

Enjoy, su!

**Chapter 6**

The last week of Spring came and went in a flurry of activity as the town's people prepared for the first of Summer and Beach Day. It was the first festival of the season, so obviously they were pulling out all the stops—especially since they had a new arrival to spend it with. There was just one problem with the arrival of Summer…

"Kai's coming back."

Claire blinked up at her neighbor from her crouch on the ground; she had been feeding Roxie and petting her when Rick had walked in like a ghost and murmured the accursed boy's name so quietly she scarce heard him. After standing and dusting her hands off on her overalls, she turned and gave the boy a funny look.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

Rick looked away from her, embarrassed that he had come here of all places to air his grievances. She didn't know Kai after all, and when she did meet him, she'd probably end up liking him as much as the rest of the town. Either way, though, she was the one unbiased party in the entire town and his feet had dragged him here as soon as he'd caught sight of the calendar. "You know, Kai," he tried without having to go into any details; most girls fell for him by word of mouth alone. "The Summer boy."

"Oh, him! Yeah Popuri was gushing about him the other day," she chirped in recognition; her friend sighed in defeat, figuring she was a lost cause now.

"I'll bet you're excited to finally meet him, huh?" he asked weakly.

The blonde blinked up at him. "No more then I am with anyone else," she replied slowly, measuring her words lest she set him off. She had yet to see Rick lose his temper (the tantrums were legendary apparently) and wasn't about to while they were standing in the middle of her chicken coop with the impressionable Roxie a few feet away. "Why?"

Her prompt set him off into a tirade that was clearly rehearsed and repeated—frequently. "He's just such a playboy! He comes here in the summer, plays games with my sister's heart—and probably all the other girls too—and leaves as soon as the Season's over! Hell, he's probably got girls all over the world!"

Clearly amused by the animosity between him and his faceless foe, Claire couldn't help but let loose a small snicker. Upon his affronted look, she quickly sobered.

"That's horrible Rick! Think of poor Popuri."

He nodded vigorously. "I know! And then she goes and gets mad when I try to protect her from him and his womanizing ways! 'You're such a jerk Rick' this, 'Stop following me on my dates' that—"

While the idea of him following his sister on her late night rendezvous was certainly creepy, it was also rather cute that he cared so much; her own brother had been the same way.

"—and then when I try to get mom to talk to her, she just sighs and says that Kai's a 'nice boy and I ought to leave him and Popuri alone'. Can you believe it? My own mother!"

"She certainly is the little traitor," she agreed with a giggle. Rick went to agree with that when he realized Claire was joking and had the decency to look embarrassed that he'd said those things.

He scratched the back of his head nervously. "Sorry, I just really don't like him."

"S'okay, we all have people who rub us the wrong way from time to time—like me and Karen for instance!" she laughed as she led him out of the coop.

Rick shivered. "She's been stalking me, I swear. I can't turn my back without feeling her glaring daggers at me."

"Sure you're not spending too much time in the coop?" she teased.

"Coop?"

"Nevermind, go on."

Shrugging, he did. "I don't actually see her any now that we're not together, but just because I don't see her doesn't mean she's not there. The town is small, and we've had the same routine going on between us for years; I've had to change up everything I do just so I can avoid her."

"That's not healthy Rick. I hate that I'm saying this, but you gotta talk to her sometime—Mineral Town is pretty small after all," she pointed out when they entered her stable; a handsome little palomino whinnied at her from his stall; he'd been a gift from Barely for being such a good role model for May and taking her when Pastor Carter could not. He'd claimed he had no room for the horse, and with that in mind she'd accepted the way-too-generous gift. His name was Edward. "You know we avoid each other like the plague, but we end up bumping into one another once in a while."

That was true. And while the two acted civil in front of the rest of the towns' people, the chicken boy knew for a fact that sparks were flying between them every time they met.

"You know Karen said she didn't like you because you were too pretty?"

The sound of a brush dropping drew his attention from the water trough. Claire was staring at him with wide, disbelieving blue eyes. "You're shitting me!" she muttered as she bent to pick it back up and finish brushing an annoyed Edward. "That's her reason? I know blondes like me are supposed to be knock outs, but dude I'm nothing special. If anything, I should be jealous of her!"

Her words surprised him. "That's not true," he said without thinking and turned red to the roots of his strawberry blonde hair. He coughed when Claire raised an eyebrow at him. "A lot of people think you're pretty."

"So says the boy who's never seen a supermodel," she snorted.

Rick ignored that. "You're certainly nicer then Karen, that's for sure." Clare muttered something about a lot of things being nicer then Karen; root canals were one of them. "You get along well with lots of people," who weren't determined to air every skeleton in her closet like Manna was, "You take good care of the kids in town, and, well, you haven't been deliberately mean to anyone yet," he finished lamely. It was really hard to complement a girl you had only known for about a season.

His companion raised both eyebrows this time. "It's sweet that you think that Rick, but I'm no Mary; I get annoyed really easily, the only reason I'm nice to people like Manna," they both winced at her name as if they expected her to be listening to them, "is because I want to have a prospering business and of course I'm nicer than Karen—You were dating the devil, dude!"

That was most certainly true enough, but he stubbornly stuck by his previous statements; she was a nice girl who didn't seem to care about the fact that he was dirt broke and always smelled like a chicken coop like Karen had—

Suddenly he snorted in laughter.

"What?" came the blonde's demand from across the stable as she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.

He waved her off. "I just got your reference to the chicken coop thing," he snickered. Not a bad joke when he thought about it; subtle, yet effective. "I promise I won't turn into an actual 'chicken boy'."

Eyes wide at his assurance, Claire couldn't help but giggle as well. "Like that, huh?"

"Most definitely."

* * *

The day before the first of Summer, Popuri had shown up at her front door to drag the poor girl to the pier to watch as the ferry rolled in; Claire was treated to two hours of watching her friend bounce on the heels of her feet while she talked her ear off about Kai and the fun times they'd had since meeting. She wanted to share those good times with her now, she explained. Claire had been the best thing to happen to her since her beloved traveler.

Claire was genuinely touched by that.

Eventually the ferry rolled into view as it made it's way over the horizon and the blonde had to cover her ears when her bubbly friend squealed loudly.

"There he is, there he is!" she chanted and bounced up and down to wave at a dark figure standing near the front of the boat. It appeared that the figure saw her and immediately began to wave back. The blonde watched all this in amusement as she uncovered her ears.

Eventually the ferry pulled into port and the purple bandana-clad young man leapt from it before Zack could pull a ramp up. Popuri ran up to him with another squeal and he opened his arms up to her to swing her around when they embraced. She chattered away animatedly at him before a gasp halted her thoughts.

"No way, Kai?"

The young man blinked up at the young woman over his girlfriend's shoulder before his eyes widened. "Claire?"

Popuri watched in confusion as her best friend came over and embraced her boyfriend after he'd disentangled himself from her, both laughing happily.

"Dude, how long has it been? Since high school?" the blonde asked with another laugh.

Kai shook his head. "I don't think I even made it that far—dad picked us up and moved right before senior year."

He received a nod in reply. "Right, right, to some island in the middle of no where, right?"

The hum she received in reply only made her smile before she realized Popuri was blatantly staring at them. She coughed as if to clear her throat, feeling guilty for monopolizing her boyfriend's time.

"You two know each other?" asked the pink-haired girl uncertainly as she twirled a strand of hair nervously.

Kai nodded in excitement. "You bet! We went to school together back in the city and—"

"And I used to date his older brother."

Popuri watched in fascination as the traveler's usually carefree smile tightened, a small feeling of dread growing at her statement. If she was right, and usually she was when it came to things like these, she could have sworn she'd seen a flash of jealously flash in her boyfriend's brown eyes.

**End**

Dun, dun, dun! Yeah, I'm horrible, I know. But you gotta love the drama I can manage to come up with to keep this story interesting; and this way Kai is still part of the poll I've got going for who ends up with Claire. Although after the above scene with Rick, I may be slightly biased since writing him is so much fun…

Also if anyone is wondering about the joke Claire made about Rick spending too much time in the coop, that's because there is literally a chicken man disease. No lie! If anyone saw that episode of Bones where they get the guy who looked like he was really part chicken, it's because of the chemicals in the fumes their droppings give off. I can't really explain it very well since science isn't my forte (would I be writing if it was?), but basically prolonged exposure starts turning you into this weird chicken hybrid thing. Claire's reference was to both this and the fact that people can get high off of anything these days; gross, I know, but it happens.

On another note, Sir Starlll has taken the liberty of reviewing each and every one of my chapters for ICiW to date and _inform_ me that my Claire is a Mary-Sue. Considering the fact that Claire is in fact a canon character and that her silence in the games gives us the opportunity to write her however we want, I find this comment both insulting and untrue. The purpose of this fanfiction is to explore a version of her that isn't seen very much and to give me my first real jump into the fandom so that I can get used to writing the characters. Constructive criticism is a welcome thing since my major is pastries these days, but when you basically instruct me on how to plot a story and to fix things that don't need fixing, I have to draw the line. Thank you for your continued reading Sir Starlll, but if you're going to continue to read this fic with the intention of 'righting my wrongs', I ask that you stop. Or at the very least not comment on the things that appear wrong. Also, I still don't like The Matrix. ^-^

**Reviews save lives. And buy gasmasks for poor chicken boys so that they don't turn into freaks of nature.**


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own, claim to own, or pretend to own the characters involved in this work of fiction. Too bad, huh?

Enjoy, su!

**Chapter 7**

The next day marked the launching of Claire's plan: Mission Make-Over. She'd been writing to her friends back home for weeks with pleas that they send her any make-up they had lying around and sending money to buy adorable outfits in sizes that were clearly not her own (or style) and had gotten the last care package just days ago. Just in time too, she thought as she went about setting everything up for her friends.

So Karen thought she was the shit just because she had the opportunity to make herself up, huh? Well it was time she was put in her place.

Claire grinned when there was a rap at her door promptly at 7:00 am and opened with a flourished WHOOSH!

"Willkomen!" she greeted the four girls outside pleased that all of them had made it. "Bienvenue, welcome! Come on in before Morph gets in; he's been pouting all morning since I kicked his little furry butt out."

The girls stepped over the threshold one at a time, Popuri practically launching herself at the table laden with accessories and make-up. She held up a container of powdered blush the color of a pretty burgundy with wide ruby eyes. Elli and Ann joined her and picked at the laden table curiously while Mary remained by the door shyly as she shuffled her feet.

"Claire, where did you get all of this stuff?" the nurse asked as she held up a summer dress in her color. Ann was less than thrilled, her plan now clear as she poked sullenly at some mascara. "You didn't buy all this did you?"

Their host snorted. "Please, I didn't even wear make-up back in the city if I could help it. I asked a bunch of friends to send that stuff."

"And the clothes?" Popuri asked this time.

"Those I bought," she replied guiltily. Her expression changed swiftly and she grabbed Mary by the arm to drag her over to the table; it didn't escape her notice how the girl's dark eyes stared longingly at a navy dress that would also be perfect for her. She smiled. "I thought we could give ourselves a make-over to celebrate my first Summer here with y'all, and you know how I never do anything in halves, so…"

No one noticed her trailing off except Mary, who'd been listening with rapt attention while everyone else simply heard 'make-over' and either squealed or groaned. Popuri immediately grabbed Ann and threw her into one of the chairs before shifting products from side to side. "Ann's first!" she cried gleefully.

The red-head looked scandalized. "Hold it, why do I have to go first? Heck, why do I have to go at all?" she demanded of her blonde friend.

Claire merely shrugged and joined the excited pink-haired girl at the table. "May as well. You'll need the most work," she grinned. Her friend bristled before Popuri grabbed her by the chin and yanked her burning blue gaze towards her; she ignored the heat of her glare in favor of dabbing her cheeks, chin, and forehead with a foul smelling liquid.

The smell made her eyes burn and she crinkled her nose at it. "What the hell is that? It smells like crap."

"Estringent," came Popuri's simple reply. "I'm trying to get the dirt and oil out of your pores so that you won't break out when we put foundation on you."

"You certainly know a lot about make-up," Elli commented while Claire and Mary watched in fascination.

Popuri blushed. "I've always wanted to be a make-up artist," she told them honestly.

* * *

Making up Ann had indeed taken some doing, and Claire had had to get involved before they pushed her into a newly added room to change into that day's chosen outfit. Elli went next upon request, and both girls worked on her until the blonde told her to meet her in the bathroom. Mary was last.

"It's not necessary," she argued. "There's no way you can fix me."

Popuri huffed irritably and pushed her down. "Please don't make this any harder than it already is Mary. Ann's complaints I could take because she hates this thing as a general rule, but I can tell you like make-up and cute clothes. Just forget what Karen said for one moment and let me make you beautiful."

The librarian blushed as Claire nodded. "Poppy will take good care of you. Much better then I ever could. Just give it a try, okay? I gotta go work on Elli's hair."

She must have nodded, because the blonde smiled in satisfaction before flouncing after the nurse. Before the door had even closed, Popuri's long pink curls filled her vision and blocked the farmer from view.

* * *

The beach was filled with people as they waited anxiously for the contest to start. As a general rule the village was always excited for a festival, but the dog show was something that anyone could enter provided they had a canine old enough to participate. But that day seemed to just buzz with possibility as the time to start drew closer and closer. Stu was particularly anxious, but not for the same reason that everyone else was.

"Where's Elli?" he asked Trent as he yanked on his jacket sleeve.

It was a very good question, and soon everyone was asking where she as well as Popuri and Ann were; they never missed the first day of Summer. Popuri especially, seeing as how Kai was officially opening the Snack Shack up to the public. The subject of Mary's whereabouts never crossed anyone's mind. Festivals weren't really her thing anyways.

"Claire's not here either," Rick observed as he glanced toward the entrance.

Karen bristled at the name of her arch-enemy, but was glad that she wasn't there. The heiress was dressed in her summery best in a dark purple tank top and denim short-shorts that exposed the best parts of her: her ample chest and long tan legs. She relished the fact that she could still catch the male population of the town staring at her in envy while their wives and girlfriends watched with a mixture of both that and hate. Hate the game, not the player, she would think at them.

Still, Claire threw a wrench in her plans to win Rick back if he was more concerned about her absence then the obscene amount of skin she was showing. The girl ran around in dirty overalls and with twigs in her hair, for Goddess' sake! Why worry about her when Karen was practically naked year round?

Maybe Karen was going about this all wrong…maybe she ought to try going after one of the other boys seeing as how Rick wasn't coming back anytime soon. Cliff was a resounding no, but Gray and Trent were hot stuff—not that Kai wasn't anything to laugh at. She'd seen him without a shirt last Summer, and boy howdy—

"The girl's are here," someone's relieved voice burst through her thoughts. She glared murderously at Gotz, who returned it with some minor confusion. The gasps from those around her drew her attention back to the beach entrance.

Her jaw very nearly fell off.

Ann was the first to make her way down the stairs, looking extremely uncomfortable and irritated to be wearing a pleated denim skirt and short sleeved, pale yellow peasant top. It was a far cry from her overalls and bright yellow undershirt, which would explain the miserable look on her face, but someone had apparently compromised if the black leggings she wore under the skirt was any indication. The _Flop! Flop!_ Of yellow flipflops heralded her arrival as her red hair swung in a messy ponytail and was tied off with a white ribbon.

"Wait for me," Popuri's voice called, making the girl pause.

The other girl came running down the stairs next, clad in a pair of red khaki shorts and black spaghetti tank; her own black flip flops were clutched in both hands so that she could run. "Ann, you're so mean for leaving without us," she huffed and blew her newly trimmed bangs out of her face while her usual headband kept the rest of her long pink hair out of her face.

Ann merely stuck her tongue out at her friend in response as they made their way over to the crowd. Her father's and brother's eyes widened.

"Is that make-up you're wearing?" Doug exclaimed disbelievingly.

Ann colored and tried to hide her face, but Popuri yanked her hands down so everyone could see. Karen was just as shocked as the Innkeeper to see the light blush highlighting pretty cheekbones that were invisible otherwise and the mascara and pink eye shadow. The finishing touch had to be the tastefully clear lip gloss that the blonde suspected tasted of mint and was only there to draw notice to rosebud lips. Safe, but cute; someone knew their stuff.

Popuri grinned proudly (and Karen guessed it was her ex's sister who had done the red-head up) while Doug gushed over how very lady-like his tomboy daughter was and Gray just stood there and caught flies with his mouth. Somewhere between the mustachioed man's cries about there being hope yet and Gray snapping out of his stupor, Elli put in her own appearance looking rather flustered over the whole situation.

Trent's eyes widened while Stu wrinkled his nose at his sister. "Sorry I took so long," she called to the other girls. She drew her pale blue short-sleeved sweater tighter around her as if to hide her body before thinking better of it and letting it fly free, exposing a white knee-length sundress. Strappy cork sandals finished off her classy look while loose brown curls fell around her face. "Claire was having trouble getting Mary to come out with her."

Ruby eyes rolled at her, accented by a liberal amount of mascara and pink and white eye shadow while her dark pink painted lips pouted cutely. "I told you we should have waited," she told Ann archly and puffed out rouged cheeks childishly. "But no~, you had to run off and try to get this over with as soon as possible!"

Elli laughed at the glaring match the two younger girls were having, trying to smother it behind freshly manicured nails. The brunette's red lipsticked lips pulled back into an innocent smile while he batted mascaraed eyelashes at them when they turned them on her; Popuri had attacked her with pink blush and shimmery eye shadow.

Someone cleared their throat to get their attention and the three girls looked down at Mayor Thomas, who was tapping his foot in the sand impatiently. "Are we ready to start now or what?" he asked irately.

"Claire and Mary aren't here yet," Popuri stalled, her argument with Ann forgotten. "Give them another minute—"

"You can start, we're hear!"

There was a sigh of relief when the blonde and librarian finally appeared at the entrance to the beach, the former waving wildly at the crowd. Many of the crowd turned to head in and find their seats, figuring that the blonde was dressed as stylishly as the other while Mary was still her frumpy self, when Anna let out a gasp of her own and ran over to her daughter. Basil was just as shocked to see his daughter as Gray was to see his sister.

Claire grinned at Anna as she left mother and daughter alone to join the group of made-over girls waiting close to the ring. "Not bad Poppy," she greeted.

"Mary, look at you!" her mother cried as she first held up a hank of straightened black hair before taking in the girl's light make-up and dark blue sun dress. Mary looked away in shame, expecting her normally harsh mother to point out all her flaws when the woman hugged her. "You look beautiful!"

Her words shocked her almost as much as the physical contact; had she really called her beautiful?

Basil came up next and ran a hand over his daughter's head, equally amazed. There were tears in his eyes as he looked at her and she couldn't remember the last time he'd ever looked so proud. Was a little make-up and a cute dress all it took?

Her companion seemed to read her dark thoughts and quickly coughed to end the moment. "So now that we're here, let's get this dog show going!" she exclaimed cheerily.

"It's a contest Claire," Mary corrected quietly even as the blonde began to pull her along towards the big red tent.

"Yeah that."

* * *

Oh, she thought she was so smart didn't she? Just because she was afraid of being beaten out by Karen's natural good looks, she thought she could eclipse her by giving the rest of the girls in town make-over's. The Supermarket heiress couldn't remember a time in her life when she had been completely ignored! Actually, she didn't think it had EVER happened!

So this was Claire's official declaration of war.

Okay, fine, she could dig it; she just needed to figure out a way to properly humiliate the dumb blonde before someone thought she'd been beaten.

Manna's voice floated over the din as she muttered to a rather disinterested Sasha about how scandalous this all was. Usually Karen didn't much care for the crap the woman spouted (most of it was either about her or untrue), but when Claire's name came up…Her ears pricked.

"—And did you see the way Kai was looking at her?" she whispered excitedly to her blonde friend as they passed the heiress. "It was making _me_ blush!"

Sasha gave her a noncommittal hum, patting the woman's hand that was linked through her arm as she all but dragged her towards the tent. "That's nice Manna," she enthused distractedly.

Karen wondered briefly what Kai had to do with Claire when he was clearly dating Popuri when the town gossip spoke up again.

"No, no!" she protested, waving her free hand in front of them, "At _Claire_! The way he was looking at Claire!"

The other woman rolled her eyes and ignored her, deciding that now was not the time to be yakking her head off about things that probably weren't even true. Their husbands had already gone on ahead (at Duke's behest because he knew that gleam in his wife's eye) and Jeff had promised to save them a seat close to the front.

Manna went on as if her friend was still listening. "I heard from Won that Claire used to date Kai's older brother. Can you believe that? How scandalous! He's been dating Popuri for a year, probably so he can forget her, and all of a sudden the girl he had jealously been coveting from his brother shows up in the last place he expected—friends with his current girlfriend no less! The animosity he must feel over his missed opportunity is making me shiver!"

"I'm sure that's not the case—"

Their voices were cut off by the swish of the door flap of the tent, leaving Karen by herself outside with a malicious smile on her face.

**End**

I'm not proud of this chapter; I'll say that right now. It started out okay, got maybe a little epic, then spiraled down the drain and exploded. It was a very messy explosion, as you can tell. But yeah, so we have the much anticipated make over's goin' on here and I hope I portrayed the girls correctly in clothes they might actually wear. Honestly though? Ann and Popuri were the most fun to dress up in my head. Ann is horribly tomboyish and Popuri girly, so it was fun to see them go in kinda opposite directions.

And I'm so glad that you are enjoying this fic and Take a Bow; I honestly didn't expect so many people to read and review the later, so it does this poor author good to know she accomplished her job. Anyways, next chapter will be better than this-I promise.

**Reviews save lives. And help the author get her muse back.**


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own, claim to own, or pretend to own the characters involved in this work of fiction. If only wishes were fishes…

Enjoy, su!

**Chapter 8**

Beach Day turned out to be a total success, to that no one would disagree. The winner of the dog contest had turned out to be old Hannah, Barley's dog, who had been entered with Harris as her trainer. May had pouted and sulked about not being able to enter with her, but after some prodding on Claire's part, she'd ended up having a good time anyways and had run up to hug the old mutt when she was announced the winner. Claire herself had been disappointed that she couldn't compete, but understood after the Mayor had explained Morpheus was too young still.

Come back next year, he'd told her jovially.

At least she could still enter the Chicken Festival with Roxie. It was still a little ways off, but she could wait. Claire was good at waiting.

Just like how she was good at hiding.

If someone had told her that she was going to be the center of attention when she quit her job and moved to this unassuming little town, she'd have laughed right in their face. Her? A source of gossip and scandal? Please, she could barely get boys to notice her back home. Hell, her getting Kai's brother to date her in high school had been sheer dumb luck.

Which was why she had hung back after the contest to hide from those who would grill her about her reasons behind prettying up the other girls; the last time she'd been subjected to that kind of interrogation, things had not ended well.

So here she was, skulking around the side of the Zack's home, waiting for her fellow town's people to head either back to the Inn or to the Snack Shack for its official summer opening. It was cowardly, sure, but she really didn't want to deal with any questions or explanations tonight.

"You sure are slick."

Claire almost jumped out of her skin just as she was passing the alley between the Snack Shack and Zack's house, heart hammering in her ears as she smothered a scream.

"Goddess Kai! You almost gave me a heart attack!" she cried, grabbing at the place where her heart was trying to burst from her chest. "What the hell do you want?"

The dark-haired man shook his head and smiled at her. "You really need to get used to me sneaking up on you. Even when we were in high school, you would jump five feet!"

Scowling, the blonde stalked over and bopped him as hard as she could on the arm; he pretended it didn't hurt, but she knew he would be rubbing the bruise later. He always did.

"I repeat, what do you want Pirate Boy?"

He glared at the nickname, brown eyes playfully daring her to call him that again. His threat was rewarded with an innocent smile that was anything but—it was obvious that they had been close friends.

Sighing and giving her a shake of his head, he mussed her hair affectionately and leaned against the wall behind him. "That was a nice thing you did today for the girls," he informed her pointedly. "Mind telling me why you did it?"

The look she sent him was poisonous. "Just what are you implying Kai?"

Kai shrugged and dodged around her so that he could plop down on the bench. Leaning back so that he was looking up at her now very upside down form, he grinned. "Just that that wasn't like you. I mean, you have all this opportunity to put Karen in place by yourself, and you get other's to do it," he added hurriedly, gesturing casually to her T-shirt, denim shorts, and old flip flops. Cute, but wholly unimpressive. "You could have looked just as cute as them if Popuri was doing the make-up—why let them have all the glory?"

Claire joined him on the bench, a safe distance away in case he decided to pull her into a signature hug, and glared at him. His returning smile made her blood boil just the slightest bit—goddess, had she missed the annoying idiot.

"You know why Kai," she said after a long moment of glaring at him, tearing her gaze away.

The look he gave her was every bit as understanding as the ones she gave Mary, and she hated him for it. "Claire…don't let what happened get you down. I was just as shocked as you!"

She snorted. "That's because you weren't home when it happened."

"You know how my family is."

She did unfortunately; just like how he knew her so well.

"Please just accept what I did as something out of the goodness of my heart like everyone else."

"Was it?" he asked and cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Sort of, not really."

Chocolate brown eyes rolled themselves to the heavens and he wondered why in Goddess' name he bothered sometimes. Admittedly though, he supposed because he just couldn't get over her no matter how unfair he was being to Popuri. What really sucked was that Popuri, as dim as she was (goddess love her), was also unusually astute when it came to matters of the heart. He only hoped the Summer ended before she found out so he had the rest of the year to figure himself out.

After a long and very thick silence, Kai got to his feet and looked down at the blonde for the first time since she'd taken a seat beside him. "You gonna come inside and celebrate like a normal person for once?" he asked with a cheeky grin.

Claire scowled at him and stood as well. "Like hell; I'm not going in there to be assaulted by questions and poisoned by your food!"

His grin only widened. "It's gotten a heck of a lot better since, you know, people _buy_ it," was his gleeful retort.

"Yeah, yeah, some other time maybe," she declined.

Good enough, he supposed, as long as she didn't wait the whole Summer to actually come back. She had no idea how he felt either, but he knew that she knew something was up between them. It was why she found it hard to be alone with him sometimes, although now it was mostly because it had been a few years since they had actually spoken. He _had_ basically dropped off the face of the planet though…

"You promise not to blow me off?" he wheedled.

Blue eyes rolled at him in exasperation. "I promise," she groused. "Now get in there before someone comes looking for the 'aspiring chef'."

Ignoring her biting sarcasm, Kai bid his old friend good night and wished her well on her farm before disappearing into the din of excited chattering lying just behind the swinging doors of the Snack shack. He completely missed the odd expression on Claire's face as she made her way back to Rose Square and home to tend to her chickens.

**End**

Totally didn't mean for this to be completely Kai/Claire interaction, but I thought I would reveal just a TINY bit of what I have planned. Obviously Claire isn't Miss Perky and has a darker side to her now that we've gotten into it. Hope to get some interesting reviews out of this one. Now I REALLY need to work on some Doctor interaction—sorry to all you Trent fans! I've been neglecting him because I keep forgetting him!

**Reviews save lives. They also help birth some rather evil ideas that make the author and possibly the readers cackle. But mostly the author.**


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own, claim to own, or pretend to own the characters involved in this work of fiction. And even though I like to take them out to play every once in a while, I promise to return them in one piece. Maybe.

Enjoy, su!

**Chapter 9**

It was the eighth day of Summer, the day after the Chicken Festival, and a quarter to two in the morning when a loud pounding on the Clinic door roused the Good Doctor from his bed. Coal colored eyes blinked blearily at the white ceiling of his room, only vaguely wondering when he had managed to stumble into bed, and just laid there for a long moment. He kept trying to will the insistent knocking away, hoping that whoever had woken him at this ungodly hour would take the hint and go away; no such luck it would seem.

So he spilled out of bed, barely avoiding a collision with the floor, and slowly made his way downstairs to give his late visitor what for. He didn't bother fixing his rumpled and stiff day clothes; whoever was at the door wouldn't be there for much longer after he was done glowering at them.

Trent had only been asleep for less than half hour; he'd say it would be justified.

Taking a moment to rub the rest of the sleep from his eyes, he swung the door open to meet—

—the very teary face of Claire.

"Doctor, you have to help me!"

_2:23 AM, The Funky Chicken Ranch_

"Claire I don't know what you want me to do; I'm not a vet."

The farmer looked up at him from her spot on her knees beside him, reaching out to stroke the twitching bundle of warmth on her bed with her fingers. Morpheus had been fine only that morning when she left for the festival with Roxie; sure, he'd been a little lethargic when she'd returned, but she'd left him outside to roam the farm all day. Anyone would be tired if they ran around as much as he did when she let him trail after her during her chores.

It wasn't until long after she'd put Roxie and her new chick, Tech, up for the night that she'd begun to worry; his breathing had been coming out in heavy pants.

Claire felt foolish for waiting so long to find help and prayed to the Harvest Goddess or whatever deity was out there that he was going to be all right.

Trent watched as she shook her head violently, upsetting her messy blonde hair. "I just want you to make sure he doesn't die. Sedate him and give him some antibiotics, I don't care, but please do _something_!"

Vaguely he felt like he was talking to one of those distraught women from the hospital he'd done his internship in; all emotion and no logic as they begged him to save their children's lives. Something in him he thought he'd quashed back then winced.

"He's a _dog _Claire," he couldn't help snap and ignored how she flinched, "Anything I give him might kill him because it's meant for _humans_. I can't do anything unless I know exactly what happened. We may just have to put him down if we don't figure it out."

The weak whine that Morpheus issued in protest spoke for both him and his master. Claire's tears fell faster as she pleaded with him.

Honestly, Trent didn't want to deal with this—especially so early in the morning. Morpheus wasn't a human, he was a dog. Why was she so choked up over it when she could just go into one of the bigger towns and get a new puppy? Wasn't this one a stray anyway? That meant that it hadn't had all it's shots, and if that was true, the wretched thing was more of a danger to humans—who he had sworn and was more obligated to help—than whatever had made it sick. Thinking about it, precautions needed to be taken to make sure the mutt hadn't bitten anyone.

"—just please don't let him die."

Brought back to reality by the sudden weight of her hand on his shirt sleeve, Trent glanced at her with tired, hooded eyes. Upon seeing the absolutely distraught look on her face, he heaved a great mental sigh; Elli would emasculate him if she found out the reason why her friend's eyes were so red and puffy the next morning was because he had refused to help her in her time of need.

But first things first.

"Why haven't you taken him to Rick or Barley?" he asked as delicately as he could.

Claire shook her head at the names. "Rick only specializes in chickens," she explained, "And the only experience Barley has with dogs is Hannah, and she hasn't seen a real vet since before May was born."

Okay, so maybe both of the local dogs were contaminated…how did Claire know when Hannah had seen a vet last anyways?

Now severely irritated, the doctor ran a hand through his already mussed hair and growled; Morpheus eyed him curiously through the haze of pain he was obviously in and whimpered again.

"I can't help him," he said decisively.

The silence in the room, broken only by the heavy breathing of the still very small dog on the bed, was thick. Then—

"What?"

Despite the hell he was sure to catch, Trent plowed on. "I don't see how I can help. We don't know if whatever is wrong with it—"

"Him."

"—is going to kill it anyway or whether my interfering will make it worse. My help could very well make things worse and kill it." He paused, trying to gauge her reaction. "I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do," he tried.

For another long, intermittent silence he waited for her reaction. He did not have long to wait.

"Get out!" he heard her yell as his vision was suddenly filled with the white softness of the pillow on her bed. He thanked the Harvest Goddess that that was the only thing in reach. "Get the hell out!"

He did so without complaint, mostly thankful that now he could get back to bed for at least a few more hours; he wouldn't be well rested, but he would have enough energy to run the Clinic from his office at least. Pausing to apologize once more, Trent found himself suddenly rendered silent as he turned to find himself face to face with not just her anger and pain ridden eyes, but the pity she apparently held for him in their depths. Why was she pitying him?

The door was slammed in his face before he could think to ask.

_4:37 PM, the Clinic_

Elli was on break and had gone to check on Stu down at the Church when the bell on the door rang, signaling a patient. Trent got up to greet them since there was no one at the receptionist desk.

He was surprised to see a very tired, though rather calm, Claire. Immediately he assumed the worst for her little dog when he noticed the mutt was sniffing at one of the plants in the waiting room, completely fine and happy to be on a walk with it's master.

"Afternoon, doctor." Her stiff greeting brought his attention back to her face.

He nodded back unsurely.

Tugging on the leash holding Morpheus close gently to call him back, the blonde cleared her throat. "I've come to apologize for last night."

Yes, that much was obvious Trent found himself thinking; he knew better than to say it out loud. There were much more dangerous things for her to throw at him now.

"I came to you for help and got mad when you said there was nothing you could do," she went on, "I shouldn't have lost my temper."

Trent watched curiously as Morpheus sat beside his master obediently, tail wagging as he looked up at her in adoration. "What had made him sick?"

His question seemed to perplex her before something new lit up in the way she regarded him. "Some Red Grass and a rubber ball. Hacked it up a few hours after you left," came her reply.

"You were up all night?" His tone was full of reproach, but it was clear he was amazed.

She nodded. "You'll do anything to make sure the one you love is okay if they get sick."

"But—" he looked at Morpheus again. "—he's a dog."

"Who said that you could only love humans?"

Three days before the Cow Festival, Doctor Trent and Elli were cleaning up after a long day of absolutely nothing. Jeff had stopped in, as usual, to pick up medicine for his infamous tummy bug (the doctor was beginning to suspect he was either faking it or really had ulcers), but he had been the only person to step in all day. It had been droll and boring, but Trent preferred it over the emergency with Lillia only weeks prior.

Currently his nurse was changing the sheets on the cots while he shuffled through paperwork.

"Claire was talking about you the other day."

Coal-black eyes blinked at the papers in his hands before finding their way to rest on Elli, quizzical.

She went on as if she were talking about weather. "Called you a 'heartless bastard'," she paused to shoot him an apologetic look for cursing, "and that you didn't have single bone in your body to feel with. I thought she was just being grumpy since she hadn't had any sleep the night before because Morpheus had been sick."

So she really had been up all night with the mutt…he didn't know if he should admire her tenacity and heart or to call her an idiot.

"After the Clinic closed, I ran into her on the way home from the Church. Said she took it back." Large brown eyes pinned him to his chair as they all but read his mind. "Do you know why?"

Trent wanted to say no, but knew better than to lie to her; she always sniffed him out. "Yes," was all he said, turning his eyes back to his work and refusing to elaborate. He need not have bothered; Elli could read him like a book, and always had.

**End**

I hate how this chapter turned out, but I'm too lazy to fix it. Just know that the doc is extremely hard to write for and that the more I try, the more I hate him in turn. Don't get me wrong, he'll get the same chance as everyone else, just…maybe not as many him-alone-with-her scenes after this. At least I managed to work him in, as promised! Gotta work on Gray in a few chapters…

There is also much reason to celebrate this night; I come to you, the night before I head off to Anime Expo in LA, to tell you that I officially go back to school monday! Yes, this unfortuneately means that sporadic posts will be even more sporadic, but hey!-I get to make sweets again! Huzzah for Pastry School!

**Reviews save lives. And in turn, give the author something to play with when she gets bored.**


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own, claim to own, or pretend to own the characters involved in this work of fiction. If I did, there would definitely be more lasers involved.

Enjoy, su!

**Chapter 10**

Doug was the only one in town with a working phone. He knew this, embraced it, and made sure that everyone could use it free of charge—no matter how long it took or how insignificant the reason. So when Karen came in the other day to ask to use it, of course he'd thought nothing of it. Why should he? Pretty girl like her, it was no _huge_ surprise that she had managed to make a friend outside of town; it was most likely one of the girls from the Valley down the road.

But she had been coming in everyday since then to use it—usually for _hours_—which meant that Barley had had to postpone his weekly call to Joanna a few hours, Zack couldn't make the orders he needed for things the Supermarket didn't sell locally, Popuri had missed her weekly calle from Kai, and so on and so forth. Doug had no problem letting her use the phone, but if she was making other folks and establishments put their business on hold, he may as well start charging her. You know, since she was running his bill up anyway.

Karen gave a quiet laugh, trying to look demure as she smothered it with a delicately manicured hand. They were the hands of a girl who had never worked a day in her life, he noticed, and he compared them to Ann's hands, which were often dry and cracked from the harsh dish soap they used and from sweeping and mopping; his daughter was a working girl with a good head on her shoulders he realized. She'd make any man a good wife, regardless of her tomboyish-ness. _Karen_, however…

He didn't quite know what to make of her.

The innkeeper cleared his throat to get the blonde's attention. In return, Karen only paid him a passing glance before whispering something to whoever was on the other line. A pause, followed by another laugh, and the conversation resumed.

"Karen," he rumbled, crossing his arms over his broad chest and sniffing so that his mustache twitched. Most knew to do as they were told when he struck this pose-

She held up a hand to tell him to be quiet.

-Karen, evidently, did not.

Thoroughly humiliated by now that he was being ignored by Miss Priss, Doug went back to cleaning the bar. He couldn't very well MAKE her get off (it would be rude and ungentlemanly) but he could listen in on what she was saying. For collateral in case she made trouble for Ann again, he told himself with a nod.

"You don't say!" she exclaimed quietly, lips pursing together in a rather catlike smile. "I can't believe he actually did that! ...and she let him?…NO! You're lying!" A laugh. "I'll just have to ask him then."

It sounded like the kind of one-sided gossip Manna often spread and for a moment he saw her standing there next to the heiress, whispering her poison like the busy-body she was. He blinked and the illusion was broken.

Karen sobered all of a sudden, and it was a look Doug had never seen on his neighbor's face. She rucked a hand through her long bangs. "You have to come visit. They're both here you know….Oh yeah, for almost two seasons now. He just comes in the Summer, like a tramp."

Doug blinked. Was she talking about Claire and Kai?

"No, I can't put you up! You're being silly! ...Yes, we have an inn; what do you think we are, rednecks? ...Oh hush, I know you were joking."

It took everything he had to keep his eyes plastered on the bar as he scrubbed at the same place over and over, eavesdropping on Karen's conversation. On any other day, he might have been grateful for the potential business, but today…much beloved as the heiress was, Doug wasn't such a fool that he wouldn't have caught on to her scheming ways eventually. She was planning something if that gleam in her eye was any indication.

"Then come after the wedding! You have the excuse, after all! I'm sure she'd…yeah, I'll hold on. Go on and ask." Pausing in her conversation to glance around, the blonde's intense green gaze eventually found its way to Doug's, who had given up on his endeavor to appear inconspicuous. She arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow at him. "You missed a spot," she mouthed with a sly grin.

Doug colored darkly.

She looked like she would have said more, but her friend on the other end seemed to have returned and she was distracted from him once more.

"What'd she say? ...Really? That's great! …Yeah, I'll set up the reservation for you….Don't worry, it's on me," she scowled when she caught the surprised look on the innkeeper's face. Karen, pay for someone else? "Yeah, I'm _positive_ they'll be happy to see you….No, no, let's make it a _surprise_. I'm sure they'll like that….Okay, I'll see you then….No problem. Goodbye."

She dropped the phone back into its cradle with a satisfied 'hmph', taking a seat at the bar and resting her chin in her hands. It went without saying that she knew Doug was watching her and so Karen swiveled her gaze back to meet his. The smile on her face, despite the fact that it made her look as radiant as it always did, turned his blood to ice; someone was going to get hurt.

"Give me some of your best wine," she purred at him.

Not about to let her know just how unsettled he was, the innkeeper set about pouring her a glass and set it before her. No flashy show, no poncy ceremony, just the kind of presentation someone who had been tiredly serving drinks the same way for years used. It was why everyone in town came to the Inn at night for drinks.

Most folk liked familiarity.

He grabbed a new glass and began cleaning it with a rag hanging from his apron. "Didn't realize you had any friends outside of town."

It wasn't an insult; he'd said it just the same way one comments about the weather. She couldn't fault him for that.

Karen's lip curled at him when she realized she couldn't catch him making an ass of himself. "I don't actually," she replied just as casually and sipped her wine. "They're friends of a few mutual acquaintances."

"That you just decided to call out of the blue?"

Another sip, longer, deeper than the last, as if she were savoring sweet victory instead of the sour tannin of grape skins. "I wouldn't exactly say it was out of the _blue_," she said slowly. The day that Karen actually measured her words was a terrifying one indeed.

Finally, he set the glass aside and fixed the blonde with the kind of withering, fatherly look Jeff could NEVER hope to achieve. "You best leave them alone," he growled and placed his meaty fists on his hips.

Karen barked a laugh at him. "Like you can do anything. Even if you wanted to, you can't warn them because you have no idea who I was talking to or what I'm planning!"

She had him there, he thought and his face flushed. "You're intending to hurt them. That's all I need to know," he replied stubbornly.

Shaking her head, Karen leaned forward to stroke the innkeeper's whiskered face and smiled that same knowing smile when he turned redder. "You don't need to know anything," she purred as she leaned closer. "Because I can make your life here even harder if I wanted to. Just think of what happened to poor Ann _last_ time one of you opened your mouths."

A shudder so strong he would have bowed backwards if he wasn't glued to where he was standing ripped through him and Doug took in a shuddering breath. He knew _exactly_ what she meant.

Another smile. "Are you going to keep your mouth shut for me?"

What choice did he have? Doug nodded.

"Good boy." And just like it had never been there, Karen's hand ghosted away. She was back in her seat before the Mayor had even opened the door. "I'll hold you to your word old man. And make sure you have a room free a week before the end of Summer, yeah? Just bill my dad."

And she was gone, brushing past the stout man that was one of the only people in town who was unaware of just what type of woman was living amongst them. Thomas spared her a look as he made his way to the bar, eyes worried when he met Doug's hallowed stare.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Still staring at the spot that she had been in, the innkeeper nodded; he grabbed her still half-full glass, downed it, and poured himself another before Thomas had a chance to blink. "Peachy."

**End**

Dun, dun, DUN! And so the plot thickens! I must say, I think I'm rather pleased with how this chapter turned out; it started out slow, and then steadily picked up steam. Plus! More evil Karen! And it seems that the girls in town aren't the ONLY ones who know what she's like; wonder what she did to Ann that has Doug so scared? Anyways, I hope I've left you all with some food for thought. Can anyone guess who Karen was talking to over the phone? Whoever gets it right first gets cookies.

Also, this chapter has quite obviously come early-both as celebration and pay-off for you, my dear readers. Anime Expo has just ended here on my end (with me cosplaying as the heroine of this story) and I officially went back to school today. So this is to commemorate an eventful weekend and to keep you all happy till I can post again. When I have the time again. *sighs*

**Reviews save lives. And allow the author to cackle accordingly when necessary.**


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own, claim to own, or pretend to own the characters involved in this work of fiction. The girls would have more moments like this if I did.

Enjoy, su!

**Chapter 11**

No one honestly expected any of the girls to keep up the looks Claire and Popuri had christened them with after the events of Beach Day when they all went home that evening. In fact, it would have surprised them more if they had. Ann hated girly things like that anyway, Mary's debilitating low self-esteem often kept her from even a pair of flip-flops in the Summer, and Elli just didn't have the time or money.

Imagine their shock when not only did the girls keep up their new looks, they paid Popuri to help them do it.

"I'm honestly surprised you're coming here every morning just to have me do your hair and make-up," the bubbly Chicken Girl commented not for the first time. Not that she was complaining; she'd been dying for forever to have someone to practice on, and suddenly she had three very willing and very different models.

Popuri was so happy over this, she could have kissed Claire for forcing them all into it in the first place.

Ann snorted from her place in the make-up chair, bored blue eyes watching as her friend bobbed in and out of view for various products. "If it didn't get me decent tips from the stingy old men ("Close your eyes so I can put the eye shadow on," her friend murmured.), I wouldn't," was her crisp reply.

The other two occupants of the room rolled their eyes to the ceiling of Popuri's room; they all knew that she was enjoying the attention she was starting to get now that the townspeople were realizing she was an attractive young woman. If she had to sacrifice an hour or two of her time in the morning before the Inn opened just so she could feel good about herself, then it was an even sacrifice.

"Mary, on the other hand, is the one I'm most surprised to see here every morning," the red-head coughed to draw attention away from her.

Coloring prettily, Mary simply stared at her hands. Elli smiled at the younger girl and patted her hand. "That's because she's trying to impress a boy," she explained softly.

"What?" Ann shrieked, dodging around Popuri to stare at her.

"Who?" the aspiring make-up artist cried, whirling around to face the librarian.

Now Mary found herself sufficiently tongue-tied and the color of a tomato. There was no way she could tell them who it was, no matter how supportive they were. Just the thought of someone finding out when even the mysterious boy didn't know sent her into a minor panic attack; what if they laughed at her?

"It's a secret," she croaked.

There was a collective groan as the other two girls went about their business. "Cop out," the barmaid said without much feeling.

Elli giggled at them. "Don't worry, I don't know either," she informed them cheerfully, "So you can't pump me for information."

Popuri muttered something that might have been 'wouldn't dream of it', but she wasn't sure. When she couldn't decide, the brunette just shrugged it off.

They continued on like that until Ann was done and it was Mary's turn in the chair, trading good-natured jibes and the kind of local gossip that didn't hurt people and their reputations. There was much speculation on the tiny hut behind the church and whether it was true that sprites truly lived or if Pastor Carter had been eating too many mushrooms from his 'secret' garden; that later changed to whether or not the good Pastor could get married; which changed to their dream husbands (while carefully avoiding anything specific about Mary's mystery crush). When they had exhausted that topic, it came to…

"Do you think Claire wanted to get married to anyone before coming here?" Ann asked.

Immediately Popuri stilled, a hank of Mary's hair in one hand and the flatiron in the other. After a few brief moments, she returned to the task at hand; the other girl barely noticed as she pondered the red-head's question. "Did she have someone she liked back home?" was her curious reply.

Ann shrugged. "She doesn't talk about home much. Well, not about her love life anyway," she amended, "I asked her if she'd had a boyfriend before leaving and she changed the subject. It was kind of weird."

All four girls frowned, though for completely different reasons. "Do you think she moved here because something bad happened with her ex?" Elli asked her this time.

She shrugged and played with a strand of curly red hair. "I doubt it. Claire's too strong to let a guy get the better of her."

That was true; to them, who had all been raised to be everything a man wanted and more, the blonde was certainly an anomaly. Certainly she was pretty, but sometimes it was hard to tell underneath all the twigs stuck in her hair and dirt on her face from tilling her fields. Then there were the days she would waltz up the road to town completely covered head to toe in dirt and sweat, as if she had been foraging in the woods behind her farm for hours on end and was only just then remembering her errands. Stu loved her for this; May was the only girl for him, they all knew, but Claire was like his hero now. She did what she wanted, when she wanted, and wasn't afraid of bugs.

Elli often wondered if she was trying to hide herself by coming into town looking like a vagabond. Hadn't she once said that all the attention she got from her neighbors made her feel like a freak show?

"But then she gets just as many stares anyways when she walks around looking like that…" she murmured.

"What was that Elli?"

Brown eyes blinked as if being drawn from a haze as she snapped to attention. "Ah, it's nothing Popuri—just thinking out loud."

The younger girl nodded and finished off Mary's hair, proudly declaring them all fit for work.

* * *

As the day wore on, the conversation she and the girls had had that morning wore on her more and more—almost to the point where she couldn't concentrate on her duties at the Clinic.

"If you're going to keep dropping files, just call in distracted," Trent groused as he helped his nurse pick up the stack she'd dropped when she had gotten herself tangled in the partition that separated his 'office' and the lobby.

Elli blinked up at him in surprise. "Doctor, was that a joke?" she teased.

His face remained neutral as he set the last folder in her arms.

So much for that, she thought with a sigh. "Right, silly me," she muttered and set about putting them away. When she turned around to go back to the front desk, he was standing where she'd left him with an expectant look on his face. "What?" she squeaked.

"What's wrong?"

Well, no one could say he beat around the bush, she thought wryly. "Whatever do you mean?" she answered evasively as she shuffled toward the exit to his right.

Trent blocked her escape, silencing any protest she might have uttered with a stern look. "My assistant is flubbing her duties because she can't keep her thoughts in order. Why?" he demanded.

It was times like this that Elli wished that the doctor was a little more sensitive to a woman's moods; were she any of the other girls in town, she would have been insulted by his harsh tone. Ann certainly would have given him what for while Mary, poor, poor Mary, would have withered. She was glad for once for her tough skin.

Sighing, Elli went back to the doctor's desk and leaned against the worn wood to toy with the end of her apron; she still wore her regular uniform at work, but it was no longer her default at the end of the day and on her days off as well. "I'm just worried about Claire is all."

A coal-black eyebrow arched as Trent stared at her. "She seemed fine yesterday when she came in for her check-up," he told her seriously, as if he were considering what could change that 'A-OK' he'd given her to 'I'm-Sick-As-A-Dog' so quickly.

"No, no!" she waved her hands at him to dispel his thoughts. "I meant that I was worried that she was lonely."

He seemed to consider this. "But she has Morpheus and her chickens."

Normally this observation would have amused her; it meant that Trent was starting to remember that there were reasons why people sought companionship in all its forms. Today, it just gave her a headache.

"Since she hasn't tried to ask anyone to go to any of the festivals with her," she elaborated.

Once again Trent was silent as he thought—this time longer than before. "So go with her to the Cow Festival next week."

Elli dragged her hand down her face and regarded him with deadpanned eyes. 'Honestly?' they asked, roving over his face to see if he were truly serious. When she saw that he was, she sighed; of course Trent would forget that Claire was more than just another patient. Guys like him always did forget that there were such things as 'girls'. "Claire hasn't tried to ask any of the boys in town out on a date," she snapped tiredly.

"Oh," he said simply as realization dawned on him.

She nodded. "She's been here almost two seasons, but she hasn't seemed to take a real interest in anything but her work. When Popuri and I start talking about boys, she clams up."

"Maybe she has someone back home?" he suggested.

While the thought would have comforted her, there was no evidence to give it any weight. If she did, she'd be at Doug's Inn using the phone every once in a while to call him up. And according to him and Ann, she hadn't been in to use it once since she moved there-not even to call her own family it seemed like.

They knew for sure she had an older brother, so it wasn't like she was alone...

"I doubt it," she sighed. "The only time we ever hear about the boys she's dated is when she and Kai get together and talk about—"

Oh.

Trent gave her an odd look. "Elli?"

_Oh._

"It's nothing Doctor," she whispered. When he arched an eyebrow at her, she smiled weakly. "I should get back to work before Jeff comes in with his tummy bug. Holler if you need anything." His nurse was gone and at her desk before Trent could utter a word against it, a worried look painting her face while she worked.

**End**

The amount of tweaking I gave this chapter has most likely done very little good. I started and finished it very late at night, edited it early in the morning, and gave up after deleting a whole section around noon. This chapter sucks, but thank god its over; now the fun stuff can start getting underway. *cackles*

On another note, I would like to get down on my hands and knees to beg your guys' forgiveness for the extremely late chapter. I got back into my pastry school very recently, and I haven't had the time to write or even post. As it stands right now, it is very likely chapters will become a rare occurance once again-maybe even rarer. Hopefully Ill find the time to add more soon, yeah?

**Reviews save lives. And help troubled authors sleep better at night.**


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own, claim to own, or pretend to own the characters involved in this work of fiction. Although you can blame me for the way they've been acting lately…

Enjoy, su!

**Chapter 12**

There was a certain territory that came with being the town's infamous local gossip—territory Manna relished having.

It meant that people were always spilling secrets to her, or she had the juiciest bits of information on the goings on of this person's life, the inside scoop on that one's…She often thought it weird that people would seek her out for advice on certain things, knowing full well that the whole village was going to know about it by two 'o clock in that very afternoon (or tomorrow if they caught her after her little circle had dispersed). But who was she to question the Harvest Goddess' Will?

"An idiot, that's who," she muttered darkly into the finance logs as she poured over them one afternoon.

Her husband glanced up at her from across the room. "What was that Manna?" he asked.

The dark-haired woman waved him off. "Nothing Duke. Finish your breakfast."

Ignoring the look he shot her, Manna continued to let her focus fade in and out of the numbers in front of her and onto her current source of woe: her inability to gather any reputable rumors about their more recent neighbor, Claire.

So far the girl had successfully avoided answering any _real_ questions about her life (what she'd done before coming to Mineral Town, her reasons for coming, her home life…) and had very quickly become the token main topic of her group's conversations at least once every day since her arrival. Anna was suspicious of the girl, even after coaxing her Mary into dressing up, and Sasha defended her like she could do no wrong, which was odd because the only real time she ever saw Claire was when she needed to buy something from the Supermarket. Personally, Manna thought that Claire was like some great puzzle that needed to be picked apart until it could be solved and put back together.

The sinister thought made her blink to herself in surprise.

Saibara cleared his throat awkwardly. "You gonna sell me a bottle of wine?" came his gruff query.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" she dithered and smiled at him. She almost thought it odd that he would stop by so early in the day until she remembered it was Thursday today. "What year may I ask will you be purchasing?"

The old blacksmith shrugged. "Just give me last years. They all taste the same."

Duke snorted at the insult from his corner. "Says the man who's favorite food grows under_ground_," came his barbed quip.

Manna smiled gleefully as she fetched Saibara's bottle of wine; his and Duke's enmity was known all over town as one of the Seven Wonders. How they had managed to live as long as they had within such close quarters was a mystery to her. Probably due to the fact that her husband knew that Saibara could take him even now.

"How can you possibly tell the difference between one of your finest vintages and a bottle of cat piss if you're always guzzling it down at the Inn?" he replied, completely unfazed. It had been established long ago that Duke could never one up the old man when his drinking problem was brought to light.

As if to prove just that, Duke glowered at the blacksmith, face a mottled red.

"Two hundred, please," Manna cut in brightly. Then, as he was handing her the money, she asked, "So what's the occasion?"

"Visiting Ellen today," he muttered, digging in the sleeve of his _kosode_ for his wallet. "Claire is bringing lunch and some of her school books."

Almost immediately he realized his mistake and coughed as if to dispel the fact that he had divulged important information. It was too late; Manna's ears were already pricked forward like an obedient dog's, so to speak.

"Oh do tell," she purred. "What sort of books are they?"

Saibara didn't answer; he slammed his money down on the counter and took off through the door as fast as his legs could carry him (an impressive feat for a man his age). Manna pouted after him while Duke just shook his head.

"You deserved that," he informed her as he got up and headed out to the grape vines.

It didn't matter that Saibara had taken off on her or that Claire herself seemed to avoid her like the plague; she wanted to know what the hell was going on! So she closed up earlier than usual (not a lot of people bought their wine in the summer anyways; it was strictly an Autumn and Winter luxury for most), wrapped up the pot pie she had made just the day earlier, and set out on her way toward Ellen's with all the determination of a woman on a mission. They would not escape this time!

…not that Ellen could really escape anyway.

Under the guise of a friend dropping off some leftovers for her favorite neighbor, Manna rapped on the door to the elderly woman's house and plastered on her most benevolent smile…

…only to have Stu be the one to answer the door.

Bugger.

He stared up at her with wide, dark eyes, grinning from ear to ear. "Grandma, Auntie Manna is here!" he called out to her over his shoulder; she winced at the endearment.

There was some quiet shuffling as things were evidently moved about (clear signs that the old woman's guests were still there) before it settled back into quiet once more. "Invite her in then," his grandmother's kindly voice ordered, amused.

Manna didn't wait for the boy to grasp the edge of her skirt in his grubby hand and just edged around him; she'd been one of just a few victims of his buggy pranks. The beetle he had hurled at her just last Spring had been humongous; honestly, how did he find them that large?

The sight that greeted her could only be described as wary nonchalance. Saibara and Claire sat next to each other at the in a half circle around Ellen, plates of what had been tiny sandwiches scattered on the floor with half empty wine glasses; the bottle was on the dining room table, well out of Stu's reach. They looked harried, as if they had rushed back to their seats after running about the room and couldn't be bothered to fix themselves. Claire herself looked to be the most nervous.

"Afternoon," the blonde greeted her with a tight smile.

Manna responded in kind with one of her own before fixing her gaze on Ellen and made herself look surprised. "My! You have guests! I'm so sorry to barge in like this, I just thought I would drop off a pumpkin and herring pot pie for you Ellen! Am I interrupting something?"

Saibara looked like her was going to tell her yes when his host cut him off. "Nonsense Manna! I'm pleased you were thinking about me—but where ever did you get pumpkin? Claire isn't growing any this year."

"Jeff won't let me buy any seeds till I get proficient with the others," the blonde added sheepishly.

Big word, Manna thought, appraising her with calculating dark eyes. Her smile was back in place not even half a second later. "Oh, I go over to the next town to buy them. The young man who runs the farm is very nice and his produce is the best."

Everyone in the room with the exception of Stu knew that that insult was aimed to provoke the farmer, who clearly wanted to say something but refused to rise to the bait.

"Elli goes there sometimes to see the Spring," Stu broke in, proud to have remembered this bit of info. The sudden tension was gone as if it had never been there. "And Doctor goes to see his teacher."

Ellen smiled at her grandson. "It's just about time for you to go see Pastor Carter. Why don't you head over early?"

The boy nodded eagerly, eyes wide. He was never allowed to go early. "Can I?" he breathed.

"You may," she conceded.

He was gone before Manna could blink.

"To go over to the Valley just to get pumpkins," the elderly woman cut in once he was gone, "You must be very dedicated to taking care of your neighbors."

If it weren't for the smile on her face, Manna would have thought Ellen was trying to provoke her the way Duke had tried to provoke Saibara earlier that morning. Aforementioned old man coughed beside her, trying to hide a smile. Claire didn't bother.

"Indeed." Her tone was icy, enunciating both syllables as if they would turn into sharp pieces of ice and rip through the air. As it was, she just continued to smile. "So what brings you here today Claire?" she asked, changing tactics.

The blonde started, clearly not expecting her to pin her with her intense black gaze; it probed her for the right answer.

"Can't I just come visit a friend when I have some free time?" she croaked.

Touché, she scowled. "I was just wondering. Saibara made it sound like you all were going to look over old school books," she answered brightly.

The answering glare she sent her, then the old black smith, was all the answer she needed. Manna smiled gleefully at the farmer.

"I'm going home," said farmer declared suddenly, standing up so fast Manna jumped.

"W-what?"

Saibara ran a hand down his withered face while the blonde set to digging through the book case behind Ellen, who was watching her over her shoulder worriedly.

"I haven't fed my chickens yet," she informed her. "And Tech gets temperamental if she doesn't get any food before two. She tried to scratch Morpheus' eyes out last time I waited too long."

Manna was mystified. "I-I see…"

Making a small noise of triumph, she gathered what appeared to be three large textbooks into her arms and swept past the older woman towards the door. Manna was barely able to catch sight of the word 'Psychology' on all three before she was too far away; Claire sent her a warning glare before shooting Saibara and Ellen an apologetic smile. "Sorry to eat and run, but you know…"

Ellen waved her off. "Nonsense! This was a wonderful change of pace—you're welcome anytime."

The younger woman sent her a pleased smile. "Thanks. I'll be back as soon as I can," she said before shooting out the door.

Several seconds passed by in shocked silence before Manna set the pot pie down and turned to leave.

"Hold it!" Saibara boomed. "Just where are you going?"

Outside of the mandatory niceties that business required, she did not have to be bright and bubbly at him. "I have a prior engagement," she informed him in clipped tones. "One I fear I shall be late for if I dawdle here much longer."

The blacksmith sputtered something along the lines of 'An appointment with your fellow gossip-mongering harpies!' as she nodded at the concerned Ellen as she continued to sit in her rocking chair. "Enjoy the pot pie," she told her honestly. "I always put a pinch of cayenne in it to give it a bit of spice."

"I will…but Manna, don't say anything—"

"I'll see you again soon Ellen." And she left the two elderly people just like this, smiling to herself all the way to Rose Square. Sasha and Anna would be absolutely floored that Claire had apparently been studying Psychology in college before coming here—she certainly hadn't pegged her for the academic type. Somewhere, in the back of her mind where her former maternal instincts had been hidden after Aja's departure, she worried over the blonde's reason for leaving school for a small village like Mineral Town and the life of a mediocre farmer.

**End**

Despite the fact that this chapter sucks major ass, I'm hoping I did a good enough job that you all caught a hint of what is to come in Manna's words. Aside from that, as much fun as writing in her point of view is, it is 2 AM and I am tired and have a wonderful novel waiting for me before I turn in. Dr. Zhivago kicks some major butt too.

**Reviews save lives. They also provide the perfect material for quilts—which will be used to keep the author warm while she curls up with her new book.**


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own, claim to own, or pretend to own the characters involved in this work of fiction. Although I do take credit for the complete and utter mind-fuck about to take place.

Enjoy, su!

**Chapter 13**

Grey wasn't particularly pleased to be working so late in the day this close to the Cow Festival, but what choice did he have? He had flubbed his work most of the day because he'd been distracted and had nearly set the whole forge on fire in a particularly embarrassing instance.

Saibara, displeased with his grandson's laziness, had worked him harder than usual to make up for it. They'd been at it until well after Grey was supposed to be off work and at the Library, and just before he was about to be freed from this horrible day, his grandfather had remembered they had a delivery to make. To Claire's farm.

Bugger.

It wasn't like Claire's farm was so far from the forge that he had to go out of his way-heck, he wouldn't have minded if it was someone else's tool since it was his last job of the day anyway. No, it was Claire, and because it was Claire, he was going to grouse and complain the entire time. It was the principle of the matter.

The late afternoon light played with the shadows of the still dilapidated buildings left on the farm, sprawling them across pale grass and rows upon rows of vegetables. To see the once trash filled field tilled and thriving came as a bit of a surprise, and soon Grey was following his feet so he could gaze up at the tall stalks of corn arranged in a huge circle close to the horse shed. They were the perfect example of what corn stalks should look like, and soon he found his mouth watering when he caught sight of the gold corn through leaves and silk.

Would Claire's corn taste good baked?

The stalks shifted all of a sudden, and Grey took a step back as a small dog darted out to greet him. It barked and wagged it's tail, but the red-head remained wary until it's master came stumbling out as well. They just stared at each other for a long, stupefied moment.

"Grey? What are you doing here so late?" she asked. She was still too surprised to put any real venom in her voice and regarded him as some sort of oddity. He never stepped foot on her property unless absolutely necessary.

There was a long moment where the blacksmith was at a loss for words. Not because he was suddenly struck with strep throat or anything as grisly as love, but because, well...

He started laughing and Claire looked like she could throttle him.

In fact, she was just about to when he held his hands up in surrender, still chuckling at her. "You look like you were just rolling around in the dirt with that mutt of yours," he finally managed.

Claire flushed a vivid red when she looked down at herself, as if just noticing the almost brown color of her once blue overalls as they hung around her hips, straps undone and mud-caked work boots. As if that wasn't bad enough, she was suddenly aware of the ragged tangles her hair was in and the fact that she was only wearing a tank top under her denim clothes. Hastily, almost as an after thought, she reattached the straps to the bib and tried to right her hair with little success.

"I repeat," she growled, and Gray was reminded of an unamused kitten, "What are you doing here?"

He paused as if to observe her behavior before holding up the wrapped tool. "Grandpa finished the upgrade to your hoe and wanted me to deliver it," came his careless reply, dropping the item into her waiting hands just as they came into range; he had to hide a superior smile as she nearly stumbled and dropped it thanks to the added weight of the silver upgrade.

Delicate fingers pulled the cloth wrappings back to peer down at the gleaming metal as it winked up at her in the waning light. "And he did a wonderful job, as always," she smiled and rewrapped it. "Pass on my thanks, will you?"

It was a small request, but Gray had had enough of 'small requests' today to last a lifetime-especially if he didn't get anything out of it.

"Tell him yourself."

Blue eyes blinked up at him before narrowing ever so slightly. "Excuse me?"

Gray waved her off and repeated himself, just as flippantly and arrogant as before. "Tell. Him. Yourself."

The farmer watched him for a long, quiet moment before reaching out and smacking him upside the head with enough force to knock his hat off. There was a mad scramble to catch it before it fell to the ground and into Morpheus' waiting jaws, who had been staring longingly at it from his back haunches.

"What the hell was that for?" he demanded once it was placed safely atop his head once more.

Claire snorted at him, deciding that she had better things to do with her time than answer him and headed in the direction of the farm house, Morpheus trailing happily after her. Flabbergasted that he had been ignored, Gray followed, skirting around a wayward hen as it darted into his path (probably trying to purposely trip him, he suspected; he'd heard rumors about her chickens...).

"Hey! Answer me!"

Again she refused to so much as look at him, but she did deign to answer this time...albeit grudgingly. "Because you're an idiot."

"WHAT?"

They stopped in front of her door, the blonde whirling around to face him and waggle a finger under his nose. For the briefest of moments Gray thought he was looking at his mother when she got angry with him for making Anne cry, but it was over the moment she opened her mouth again.

"You're an idiot," she reiterated, almost taking the end of his nose off with another waggle, her other hand planted on her hip. "No, not just _any_ idiot, but a stupid, lazy idiot who would rather go off and ogle the poor librarian when she clearly has no interest in you because you think your shit don't stink."

His jaw hung open for all of five seconds; honest. "Is that one of your psycho analysis's?" he snapped.

To his surprise, Claire sneered at him-SNEERED! Her! "No, it's a lay man's opinion," she retorted. Before he could snap at her again, she went on. "Do you even know how hard your grandfather works trying to teach you his ways? How worried he is that you don't seem to be learning from your mistakes?"

A snort forced its way out before he could stop it and Claire's face darkened even more. "It would be news to me if he did."

For some reason she frowned instead of snarling another retort at him. Studying his face with all the scrutiny of a scientist watching a lab rat, the blonde carded a hand through her tangled bangs and sighed tiredly. Her sudden change in demeanor only served to irritate him further when he realized that she had decided she was far too mature to argue with him like this and he bared his teeth at her. Why start an argument like this if she had no intention of finishing it?

"You really think that you have every reason to be angry with everyone you perceive has wronged you don't you?"

Her question caught him off guard, but he refused to be deterred. "With the way everyone treats me when they think I'm not paying attention, yeah. Yeah I do."

She was staring at him again with that weird scientist-look again, and he realized that this might have been the looked she would have worn if she had become a psychologist instead of a farmer. It made him wonder for the first time why she had left school for a life _here_ of all places.

In the end, it didn't matter because she was still as annoying as ever and Gray hated her the same way he hated everyone in this hick town.

"While I'll admit that not everyone in this town is as truthful and kind as they make themselves out to be," she said slowly, eyes never leaving his, and they both knew exactly who she was talking about, "Your grandpa and your dad only seem to want the best for you. Saibara works you hard and gets mad at you for making mistakes because he wants you to learn from them and get better, and your dad just wanted you guys to have a better life here."

"...and how do you know this?"

Claire shrugged carelessly, the tense air between them suddenly dispelled with that small movement. "I spend a lot of time with Anne," she replied with a wry smile.

If someone had told him that he was smiling at her in return, Gray would have called them a dirty liar, because he most certainly wasn't smiling-smirking, maybe, but definitely not smiling. "Of course you do."

And while Gray didn't put any particular faith in her words after he'd departed that day, Claire saying they ought to start fresh as friends, he did pay a little more attention to how his father and grandfather treated him for the next several days. He certainly didn't see what she was talking about, but he did doubt if he had been hasty in blaming them for his own shortcomings...

**END**

I finally got a chapter out for this story in the New Year! *glees*

Anywho, I would like to apologize for this chapter. See, I hate how it turned out and I have no idea what happened, and I don't really want to talk about it. Just know that I worked my butt off trying to get my muse to sit her sorry ass down for more than five minutes so I could finish it and get to all of you lovely readers. You who are my life's blood in this ordeal...have I mentioned how much I love you all for reading and reviewing? No? Well I do. 3

Also, Happy St. Patrick's Day.

**Reviews save lives. And will be used as handcuffs to tie down the author's runaway muse.**


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do own, claim to own, or pretend to own the characters involved in this work of fiction. The events of pure evil, however, are all mine.

Enjoy, su!

**Chapter 14**

A week before the Summer was to end, Popuri got it in her head that they should all head down to the beach for one last hurrah.

They really hadn't had a real trip since Beach Day and Kai would be busy for the next week deconstructing the cafe for another three seasons of hibernation. It wasn't like they weren't going to see him around at all during the next week, but she also knew that Claire wanted to get a head start on planting for next season and she would be otherwise indisposed when he left. And somehow, despite her personal feelings on the matter, she didn't want to see her boyfriend look sad that his friend had skipped out on saying goodbye to him.

Even though it was becomingh increasingly clear that he hadn't and still didn't think of her like that.

"It's so hot today!" Claire moaned while setting up a large beach umbrella for May to sit under. Barley had come to her before she'd set out to meet her friends and asked if she could watch his granddaughter on such short notice. Unable to say no to the puppy eyes the little girl gave her and knowing full well that Carter was busy with his churchly duties, she'd aquisiesed and made sure to double up on sun screen.

Kai laughed while he helped. "You've been working the fields all Summer, how can this possibly too hot for you?"

"That and this are two separate things and you know it pirate-boy," she pouted.

May giggled at them while Popuri slathered sun screen along her back, happy to be out and about for once. Initially she'd felt awkward being around so many grown-ups without Stu around (neither was never far from the other) but had since gotten over it when Kai had scooped her up onto his shoulders and raced down to where they were setting up home base. The pinkette smiled fondly down at her before pronouncing her fit to swim.

"Play with me," she begged Claire.

The blonde shook her head. "Not yet sweet pea, I gotta get some sun screen on me too. How about you ask Kai?"

May gave the woman a tiny pout but nodded. She and Kai were in the water, laughing and screaming within minutes.

Both women smiled at the sight.

"He's so good with kids," Claire sighed, already applying the sun block to her pale skin. She may have worked the fields all Summer, but that didn't mean she still didn't fry like a hotcake. "I'd nearly forgotten."

Popuri gave her a stange look and ignored the slight twinge of jealousy her friend's words gave her. "Was he around them often when you guys were in school?"

The farmer shrugged. "My younger brother adored him," was all she said on the matter. It was the most she had said about herself in two seasons and Popuri was suddenly hungry for more.

"You have siblings?" she wheedled in the hope that her friend would feel inclined to say more.

The silence that stretched between them was thick and suffocating, like it would drown them as surely as the ocean might if they didn't tread carefully. Afraid that she had said something terribly rude, Popuri tried to backpedal violently.

"I-I mean, if it's a touchy subject, you d-don't have to say anything. I was j-just curious is all-"

"Had."

She froze. "Had?"

Claire finished off the sun screen on her legs and popped the cap shut; there was no need to do her back since she had no intention of taking off the large T-shirt she was wearing over her swim suit. "I had two...now I only have one," she elaborated with a bright smile.

She watched, dumfounded, as Claire got to her feet, brushed the sand from the backs of her thighs and left the safety of the umbrella to join the duo on the shore. What had just happened? Did...did the blonde really just say that? With a smile? Something wasn't right; no one just said something like that as if they were talking about last night's episode of that corny soap opera all the older women watched. Popuri watched her friend join Kai and May in the water, wondering what sort of woman she'd been back in the city and why she'd suddenly decided to buy a farm for the first time.

* * *

The sun was starting to get low in the sky when they finally carried an exausted May back to where they'd set up camp, the late Summer heat finally starting to cool. They sat watching as the sky turned a deep orange and gulls flew home to roost, snacking on some sanwiches Kai had whipped up in the Snack Shack with the last of this Summer's supplies as they watched the water lap at the shore and Zack pull the last ferry of the day into port.

"It'll be me on that by the end of this week," Kai said wistfully, "I almost don't want to go back this year."

Popuri eyed him sharply and wished the words had been more for her. Her ruby eyes slid to Claire to see if she had caught his meaning but was disappointed to find her as oblivious as ever.

"Don't be silly, it's just three seasons and you'll be here again," she laughed tightly instead when no one else seemed keen on speaking next. Her boyfriend nodded and offered her a wide smile that set her heart aflutter like when they'd first met.

Claire's attention was glued to the ferry. "Who do you suppose is coming for a visit so late in the Summer?" she asked.

They both glanced at Zack as he unloaded two sets of luggage. And since neither of the town's missing occupants were too keen on coming back in the near future, who indeed?

Now intrigued, both Kai and Popuri watched as the burly deliveryman helped a petite blonde in a mint green gown descend the platform to the dock, smoothing what looked like expensive fabric and hair long enough to sweep past her hips. She was lovely and the sunset set her pale skin aglow as she turned to smile brilliantly up at whoever was still on the boat. It was the prettiest smile either of them had seen and made her seem almost fairy-like.

"I know her!" Popuri gushed suddenly in a breathless whisper. "That's Lanna, she's my favorite idol!"

Someone hopped over the side of the boat then, crouching beside the idol as she rolled her eyes and said something to Zack that made him laugh. The young man straightened to an impressive height with a pinched expression on his tanned handsome face and made what was probably a retort, smiling as Lanna pouted up at him. Mussed dark curls hung in his eyes beneath a familar purple bandana and Kai's stomach dropped at the same time Claire sucked in a shuddering breath.

"Who's-" Popuri began when she caught the look on her boyfriend's face.

"Denny," was his short reply as the young couple caught sight of them; Denny appeared to be waving excitedly and was rushing down to meet them with Lanna following at a more sedate pace. "My older brother."

The pinkette's jaw fell open with a gasp and she turned red eyes to...where Claire had been sitting moments before. Following the line of sandy footprints, she was just able to make out her friend's form stumbling up the steps into Rose Square before disappearing. Denny and who she learned was his new wife reached them moments later.

**End**

I...have no real words to explain why I've neglected this story for so long in favor of Hetalia stuff, but I can say that I've been busy with finishing up my degree at LCB and even that writing has suffered. Anyway, now that I've finally gotten this out of the way it's time for everything to basically fall apart and come out. I did say Karen was up to something yes?

**Reviews save lives. And double as sleep aides for sick authors who can't sleep at night.**


End file.
